Broodstock
/ˈbruːd.stɒk/noun
Breeding animals kept for producing offspring.
Did you know?In fisheries and animal husbandry, broodstock is the carefully selected parent stock, so this word sits right at the intersection of life, inheritance, and controlled reproduction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰrewh₁-
“to boil, seethe, heat”
Old English
OE
brōd
“brood, offspring; also the act of hatching or sitting on eggs”
Old English
OE
stocc
“tree trunk, log, stump; later a stock or trunk-like base”
Middle English
ME
brood stock
“breeding stock, the parent animals or birds kept for producing young”
Modern English
EN
broodstock
“animals or fish kept for breeding purposes”