You know, the horse? Why is that thing?
In: Biology
Are you just…asking for the reason why it’s spelled ‘bred’ and not ‘breed’?
Same reason we say ‘purebred’. It’s a participle–the past tense of a verb used as an adjective. For example, if you see a sturdy building, you would say it’s ‘well-constructed’, not ‘well-construction’. A dog whose parents are the same breed is purebred, not purebreed. A horse of the Thoroughbred breed is thoroughbred–it is the result of thorough selective breeding for generations upon generations. It has, quite literally, been *thoroughly bred* for hundreds of years into the horse it is today. Ergo, it is thoroughbred.
The horse is not of the Thorough breed. The name of the breed of the horse *is* Thoroughbred. The horse is of the Thoroughbred breed.
I don’t understand the question? You know it’s the name a breed, not a description? Like Alsatian is a breed of dog?
Because it’s after the fact. ‘Bred’ is past-tense of ‘breed’. The result of breeding is something that has been bred. Therefore, thorough*bred*.
You have to break down the words. Thorough and Through are not the same word nor have the same definition. Same with Bred and Breed. Bred is a verb meaning that they have mated. Breed is a noun meaning a specific genetic variant of something. So, Thoroughbred means that its lineage has been bred under very strict conditions that keep those genetic specifics intact.
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