domestication

noun

do·​mes·​ti·​ca·​tion də-ˌme-sti-ˈkā-shən 

: the act or process of domesticating something or someone or the state of being domesticated: such as

a

: the adaptation of a plant or animal from a wild or natural state (as by selective breeding) to life in close association with humans

Wild and feral dogs are hunters, but domestication and differential breeding have modified breed and individual predatory motivation.

—Julia Albright

Horse domestication revolutionized transport, communications, and warfare in prehistory, yet the identification of early domestication processes has been problematic.

—Alan K. Outram et al.

b

: the process of adapting someone or the state of being adapted to domestic life

But my father-in-law was also the very soul of domestication and familial responsibility, a man of regular habits who tied up his garbage with the spare lengths of string he collected in a Maxwell House coffee can …

—Garret Keizer

c

: the adaptation of something to meet the expectations or tastes of ordinary people

When you think about it, the whole buzzy excitement surrounding The Aristocrats, with its torrents of obscenity, points to another new phenomenon this summer: the domestication of raunch.

—Gregory Kirschling

Examples of domestication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands of years of domestication couldn’t prepare dogs for this abrupt transition. —Brian Hare, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2024

In this age of modern domestication, why are the largest dog breeds up to 40 times bigger than the smallest? —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024

The start of domestication corresponds with a period of global cooling, when droughts in South America created large swaths of arid grasslands across a previously wet, forested landscape. —Byariana Remmel, science.org, 3 Oct. 2024

Researchers have thought the wide-eyed look evolved due to humans’ close bond with dogs and their history of domestication. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1718, in the meaning defined above