pedigree

noun

ped·i·gree | \ ˈpe-də-ˌgrē

Definition of pedigree

1 : a register recording a line of ancestors The pedigree traces the family back to the 18th century.

2a : an ancestral line : lineage That horse has an impressive pedigree.

b : the origin and the history of something Democracy's pedigree stretches back to ancient Greece. broadly : background, history

3a : a distinguished ancestry actions spoke louder than pedigrees in the trenches— Dixon Wecter

b : the recorded purity of breed of an individual or strain vouch for a horse's pedigree

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Examples of pedigree in a Sentence

That horse has an impressive pedigree. What is the dog's pedigree? The puppy came with papers proving its pedigree. Democracy is an idea with a pedigree stretching back to ancient Greece. The company has an excellent pedigree with over a century in the business.

Recent Examples on the Web

Outlook: Hard to believe that a country with the soccer pedigree of Argentina has never gotten beyond the group stage of a Women’s World Cup. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "World Cup Group D preview: Lucy Bronze hopes to make England a tough match," 4 June 2019 With so little to go on, headhunters rely on college grades and the pedigree of their current employers as proxies. — Miriam Gottfried, WSJ, "No Experience? No Problem. Private Equity Lures Newbie Bankers With $300,000 Offers.," 31 Oct. 2018 The notion that America began here, in the bogs and shifting sands of Roanoke Island, provides a distinctly Waspy pedigree for a nation with a far more complicated heritage. — The Economist, "The tale of the “Lost Colony” is a chronicle of delusion," 7 June 2018 The teams that have had better group stages don’t have championship pedigree. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Brazil Hopes Its World Cup Crescendo Continues Into Brutal Knockout Stage Road," 27 June 2018 Classic-style pizza with pedigree and friendly, gregarious service. — Antonio Basada, Condé Nast Traveler, "13 Best Pizza Places in Chicago," 28 Feb. 2018 Hirji has a long pedigree in the world of finance, but his most recent gig was advising a16z portfolio companies on their growth strategies. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "How an $8 billion Silicon Valley startup has shared talent with one of its most prominent investors," 26 Nov. 2018 Budinger was a rare case: A true two-sport athlete at La Costa Canyon High School who had a five-star pedigree in basketball to go along with being named the Mizuno National Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine in 2006. — Max Meyer, SI.com, "Chase Budinger Rediscovers Volleyball Dream After NBA Career," 26 June 2018 The fact Jordan became Butler’s first black basketball coach – indeed, first black head coach in any men’s sport – was never as relevant as his Bulldog pedigree. — David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "A year later, LaVall Jordan has a new contract and kept the old Butler Way," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pedigree.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.