The word "饲养" is formed by combining the characters "饲" and "养". "饲" is a phono-semantic character composed of the radical "饣" (related to food) and the phonetic component "司", conveying the meaning of feeding. "养" means to nurture or raise, historically associated with providing care and sustenance. Together, they form a compound word where "饲" emphasizes feeding and "养" emphasizes rearing, specifically referring to the act of raising and tending to animals.