pedigree

American  

[ped-i-gree] / ˈpɛd ɪˌgri /

noun

• pedigrees
  plural

1. an ancestral line; line of descent; lineage; ancestry.

2. a genealogical table, chart, list, or record, especially of a purebred animal.

3. distinguished, excellent, or pure ancestry.

4. derivation, origin, or history.

   the pedigree of a word.

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pedigree British  

/ ˈpɛdɪˌɡriː /

noun

1. 1. the line of descent of a purebred animal

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pedigree bull

2. a document recording this

3. a genealogical table, esp one indicating pure ancestry

4. derivation or background

   the pedigree of an idea

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Synonym Usage

Pedigree, genealogy refer to an account of ancestry. A pedigree is a table or chart recording a line of ancestors, either of persons or (more especially) of animals, as horses, cattle, and dogs; in the case of animals, such a table is used as proof of superior qualities: a detailed pedigree. A genealogy is an account of the descent of a person or family traced through a series of generations, usually from the first known ancestor: a genealogy that includes a king.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pedigreed
  adjective
• pedigreeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pedigrees
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pedigree

1375–1425; late Middle English pedegru, from Anglo-French, equivalent to Middle French pie de grue literally, “foot of crane,” a fanciful way of describing the appearance of the lines of a genealogical chart

Explanation

The noun pedigree refers to the genetic background of an animal, although it is sometimes applied to people as well. A purebred dog, for example, comes with a verified pedigree, a list of all past parentage. The preoccupation with pedigree isn't new — the concern for human pedigree can be seen in the Bible, where generations are meticulously recorded. Pedigree, referring to a genealogical chart, appeared in 1410 from the Anglo-French pe de gru, meaning "foot of a crane," referring to the chart’s tree — like lines, which looked like the print of a crane's foot. The importance of pedigree extends to animals such as dogs and horses, with breeders careful to follow the animal's lines to assure "purity."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pedigree pedigrees

Aschenbrenner didn’t have the pedigree of some other managers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Even allowing for his decline last season, few players arriving in Turkey possess anything close to Salah's pedigree.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Brazil entered its Round of 16 tilt on Sunday with the pedigree of a record five World Cup championships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Yet given what has already happened in this tournament and given the pedigree of the teams already headed home, Pochettino is taking nothing for granted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Ricky bought it from the town dump with a jar of quarters—or so he claimed—a pedigree whose odor even the forest of air-freshener trees he’d hung from the mirror couldn’t mask.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Convergent evolution shows us that lineages respond more to pressures than pedigrees.

From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2026

Some old and some new, but players with reputations and pedigrees to match, who have helped haul Scotland from the shadows of irrelevance into the spotlight.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025

Success will depend on several players with promising pedigrees but limited college production becoming playmakers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

Currently, pedigrees are how horse owners and breeders find out which stallions are in a horse's ancestry, which gives information on the traits a horse may have inherited.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

The woman was Anita Perkins and the man was Leonard Williams, and they both had fancy pedigrees and degrees and obviously tons of connections everywhere.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• lineage