Pedigree
noun /ˈpɛdɪɡriː/ — The ancestral line from which someone or something descends — and the quality that lineage implies.
Definition
A recorded line of descent or ancestry; the history of a person's or thing's background and development, especially when it confers distinction or quality.
Beyond the definition
Pedigree carries the weight of inheritance — not just genetics, but cultural, intellectual, or professional lineage. It can inspire pride or resentment, depending on whether you inherited it or are still trying to build it.
Origin & history
From Middle French pié de grue — foot of a crane. The forked shape of genealogical charts resembled a crane's three-toed footprint. A family tree that started as a bird's footprint.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The wine's pedigree was impeccable — three generations of the same family, the same hillside, the same method.
He came with an academic pedigree that impressed, but his actual thinking impressed more.
She was more interested in a person's pedigree of ideas than of blood.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Pedigree” when the meaning fits your context: A recorded line of descent or ancestry; the history of a person's or thing's background and development, especially when it confers distinction or quality.
Synonyms
Antonyms
unknown origin, obscure background
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Holding Ancient Records
An adult stands in a grand, quiet archive, holding a single, heavy, ancient book open, its pages filled with handwritten, historic records.
Pedigree is the history of a line of descent or background. Holding the heavy, ancient book of handwritten records illustrates the importance of having a documented line of background that confers distinction, showing the depth of knowledge and authority that comes from understanding one’s own or a thing’s long history.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Pedigree" mean?
Pedigree is noun meaning: The ancestral line from which someone or something descends — and the quality that lineage implies.. A recorded line of descent or ancestry; the history of a person's or thing's background and development, especially when it confers distinction or quality.
Where does the word "Pedigree" come from?
From Middle French pié de grue — foot of a crane. The forked shape of genealogical charts resembled a crane's three-toed footprint. A family tree that started as a bird's footprint.