pedigree

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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.

2 a :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

3 a :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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pedigreed

play \ˈpe-də-ˌgrēd\ or pedigree adjective

See pedigree defined for English-language learners

See pedigree defined for kids

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 of pedigree from the Web

Olga Morozova was wary that the elder Zverevs might downplay their pedigrees.

— Longreads, "Family Band," 22 Aug. 2017
Naperville Central's program has the pedigree, having won the DuPage Valley Conference title in 2015.

— blake baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Jayden Reed completes transfer from Metea, practices with Naperville Central," 7 Aug. 2017
Not surprisingly, the fall TV lineups reveal plenty of new pedigree programming.

— whitney friedlander, Esquire, "Fall TV Preview: Your Complete Guide to the Season's Premieres," 4 Aug. 2017
Hall and Holsey might be vastly different gauged by football experience and pedigree - only seven players were picked before Hall in the 2004 NFL Draft; only 10 players were picked after Holsey in the 2017 NFL Draft.

— wesley sinor, AL.com, "See how Jarrett Stidham looked in Auburn's 1st fall practice," 1 Aug. 2017
Into this jungle now comes a new player with an impressive pedigree.

— sarah zhang, The Atlantic, "How Do You Know When a DNA Test Is B.S.?," 24 July 2017
The two actors have a bit in common in real life, from their sitcom pedigrees to their deep experience in stand-up comedy.

— zach schonfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, "'The Big Sick': Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano on Playing Future In-Laws and Bombing Live," 14 July 2017
The 6-3 Washington showed his pedigree as a scorer and 3-point shooter for the Junior All-Star team.

— kyle neddenriep, The Courier-Journal, "Insider: 2018 Indiana high school basketball player rankings," 2 July 2017
Besides telling Hayward all of the obvious positives of playing here - weather, lack of state income tax, the Heat culture and championship pedigree - coaches also explained to Hayward how the offense would play to his strengths.

— barry jackson, miamiherald, "Hayward meeting goes well for Heat, with player turnout strong," 1 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of pedigree

Middle English pedegru, from Anglo-French pé de grue, literally, crane's foot; from the shape made by the lines of a genealogical chart

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

pedigree Synonyms

Synonyms

birth, blood, bloodline, breeding, descent, extraction, family tree, genealogy, line, lineage, origin, parentage, ancestry, stock, strain

Antonyms

issue, posterity, progeny, seed

Related Words

heredity, succession; family, house; kin, kindred, relations, relatives; race

Near Antonyms

offspring; child, heir, inheritor, son, successor

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

PEDIGREE Defined for English Language Learners

pedigree

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noun

Definition of pedigree for English Language Learners

: the history of the family members in a person's or animal's past especially when it is good or impressive
: the origin and history of something especially when it is good or impressive