domesticated

Everyday

1. A domesticated animal or plant has been tamed and bred by people over many generations to live with them or be useful, like dogs, cows, sheep and wheat. tree →
2. Domesticated is the past of «domesticate»: tamed and bred for human use. tree →
3. (humorous) A domesticated person likes or is good at housework and cooking. tree →

In the lessons

In history and science lessons, early farmers domesticated wolves into dogs and wild grasses into wheat, which allowed villages to grow. Domesticated animals differ from wild ones: one tame lion is tamed, not domesticated. In everyday jokes, «He's become very domesticated» means he now cooks and cleans.

Examples

• Dogs were the first domesticated animals. tree →
• People domesticated sheep for wool and meat. tree →
• Wheat was domesticated thousands of years ago. tree →
• A cat is domesticated, but a fox is wild. tree →
• Horses were domesticated on the grasslands of Asia. tree →
• Dad's become very domesticated — he even irons now! tree →
• Domesticated pigs come from wild boar. tree →

Note

Trap: «tame» means one animal is calm with people; «domesticated» means a whole species has been changed by breeding over many generations. Noun: domestication.