brood
The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
Other meanings
The young of any egg-laying creature, especially if produced at the same time.
The eggs and larvae of social insects such as bees, ants and some wasps, especially when gathered together in special brood chambers or combs within the colony.
Related words
- brood cell
- brood size
- chalkbrood
- foulbrood
- sacbrood
- stonebrood
- brood chamber
- brood cocoon
- brood mare
- brood nest
- brood parasite
- brood parasitism
Word history
From Old English "brōd" (brood; foetus; breeding, hatching).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “brood” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.