noun
pedigree
PEHD-ih-gree
noun
1
A record of an animal's or person's ancestry, especially one showing distinguished breeding.
"The breeder showed us the puppy's pedigree going back four generations."
2
A person's background or history of achievement, especially an impressive one.
"With her academic pedigree, she was the obvious choice for the role."
adj
1
Having documented ancestry; purebred.
"They only breed pedigree dogs at that kennel."
How to Use Pedigree
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA traceable line of ancestry or a strong track record — used for animals' breeding and, figuratively, for people's impressive backgrounds.
Common pairings
pedigree dog
academic pedigree
impressive pedigree
Word Forms
pedigreed past tense, pedigrees plural, pedigrees singular
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The breeder showed us the puppy's _____ going back four generations.
Etymology
From Old French pié de grue, "foot of a crane," apparently because old genealogy charts had branching lines that looked like a crane's foot.