Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BREED, n.

1. A race or progeny from the same parents or stock.
2. A cast; a kind; a race of men or other animals, which have an alliance by nativity, or some distinctive qualities in common; as, a breed of men in a particular country; a breed of horses or sheep. Applied to men, it is not elegant. We use race.
3. Progeny; offspring: applied to other things than animals. – Shak.
4. A number produced at once; a hatch; a brood; but for this, brood is generally used. – Grew.