noun \ˈpe-də-ˌgrē\

: 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

Full Definition of PEDIGREE

:  a register recording a line of ancestors
a :  an ancestral line :  lineage
a :  a distinguished ancestry
b :  the recorded purity of breed of an individual or strain
ped·i·greed \-ˌgrēd\ or pedigree adjective

Examples of PEDIGREE

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

Origin 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
First Known Use: 15th century

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

Rhymes with PEDIGREE



noun \ˈped-ə-ˌgrē\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PEDIGREE

: a record of the ancestry of an individual <the pedigree of a diabetic patient>


noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Record of ancestry or purity of breed. Pedigrees of domesticated animals are maintained by governmental or private record associations or breed organizations in many countries. In human genetics, pedigree diagrams are used to trace the inheritance of a specific trait, abnormality, or disease. Standard symbols are used to represent males, females, mating (marriage), and offspring. The offspring symbols appear from left to right in the order of birth and are connected to the marriage line by a vertical line. Possession of the character under study is shown by a solid or blackened symbol, and absence is shown by an open or clear symbol.


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