thor·ough·bred  (thûr ō-br ĕd ′, thûr ə-, th ŭr -)
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n.1. A purebred or pedigreed animal, especially a horse. 2. Thoroughbred Any of a breed of horses, bred chiefly for racing, originating from crosses between Arabian stallions and English mares. 3. A well-bred person. adj.1. Bred of pure stock; purebred. 2. Thoroughbred Relating or belonging to horses of the Thoroughbred. 3. Thoroughly trained or educated; well-bred. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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