What does pedigree mean?
Pedigree means a person's or animal's ancestry, especially when that ancestry has been formally recorded. It may refer to the line of descent itself, a genealogical document tracing it, or an animal or family with a long and distinguished history of descent. The word is especially common in discussions of horses, dogs, and other selectively bred animals, where it can indicate documented parentage and inherited characteristics. In human contexts, pedigree often carries historical or social associations, as in “royal pedigree,” without necessarily implying inherited talent or worth. Although pedigree may appear to promise quality because it recalls selective breeding, ancestry alone cannot establish an individual's merits. The broader concept of pedigree remains useful whenever a person's or animal's background and generational connections matter.
A line of descent, a record of ancestry, or a stock of animals with documented hereditary background.
"She researched the family's pedigree before the reunion."
The sense of an ancestral record is especially common in genealogy, while the animal-breeding sense is frequent in equestrian and canine contexts.
Having a documented ancestry or belonging to a stock with recorded and carefully maintained descent.
"The mare was a pedigreed Arabian with an award-winning record."
This use is especially associated with animal breeding and is less common when describing people.
To furnish an animal or person with a documented pedigree.
"The registry pedigreed the stallion by recording its parents and grandparents."
This is a formal and comparatively uncommon transitive use.
The regular plural is pedigrees; pedigree's is the possessive form.
"Several aristocratic pedigrees appear in the archive."
Pedigree began with a footprint: its Latin ancestry combined “foot” with “step.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pedigree come from?
The word entered Middle English from Anglo-French pedigree, which was based on Medieval Latin pedigree. The Latin term combined pedem, meaning “foot,” with a form related to gressus or gradus, meaning “step.” The shared Latin root underlying several English words about feet and walking underlies pedigree.
Related word forms
How pedigree is actually used
The word is formal and neutral in general use. In animal breeding, it often suggests recorded ancestry and selective breeding, but a prestigious pedigree does not by itself guarantee quality, health, or temperament.