pedigree

[ ped-i-gree ]
/ ˈpɛd ɪˌgri /

noun

an ancestral line; line of descent; lineage; ancestry.
a genealogical table, chart, list, or record, especially of a purebred animal.
distinguished, excellent, or pure ancestry.
derivation, origin, or history: the pedigree of a word.

Origin of pedigree

1375–1425; late Middle English pedegru < 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

SYNONYMS FOR pedigree

2 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 WORDS FROM pedigree

ped·i·gree·less, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for pedigree

British Dictionary definitions for pedigree

pedigree
/ (ˈpɛdɪˌɡriː) /

noun

  1. the line of descent of a purebred animal
  2. (as modifier)a pedigree bull
a document recording this
a genealogical table, esp one indicating pure ancestry
derivation or background the pedigree of an idea

Derived forms of pedigree

pedigreed, adjective

Word Origin for pedigree

C15: from Old French pie de grue crane's foot, alluding to the spreading lines used in a genealogical chart

Medical definitions for pedigree

pedigree
[ pĕdĭ-grē′ ]

n.

An ancestral line of descent, especially as diagrammed on a chart, to show ancestral history and to analyze Mendelian inheritance of certain traits including familial diseases.