pedigree
Americannoun
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an ancestral line; line of descent; lineage; ancestry.
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a genealogical table, chart, list, or record, especially of a purebred animal.
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distinguished, excellent, or pure ancestry.
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derivation, origin, or history.
the pedigree of a word.
noun
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the line of descent of a purebred animal
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( as modifier )
a pedigree bull
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a document recording this
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a genealogical table, esp one indicating pure ancestry
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derivation or background
the pedigree of an idea
Related Words
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
- pedigreed adjective
- pedigreeless adjective
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If Kane suffered an injury before or during the World Cup, the drop-off in quality and international pedigree is alarming.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
But she wound up being just one of many with such a pedigree in his Cabinet, and she’s kept a low profile ever since.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
Not because of his desert pedigree, but because he’ll be playing acoustic.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
From week to week, I try not to make a big deal of the fact that most SUVs and crossovers, regardless of pedigree, are overweight, top heavy, undersprung and generally clumsy afoot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
This was endured silently not only because of its family pedigree but also because Ernest so heartily endorsed the science underlying John’s experiments.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
