What does pedigreed mean?
Pedigreed is an adjective meaning that something has a documented or distinguished ancestry. Its most familiar use is for animals whose family lines and breed histories have been preserved through selective breeding, as in “pedigreed dog” or “pedigreed horse.” Such an animal may be described as purebred, although “pedigreed” emphasizes the recorded lineage rather than merely the appearance of purity. The word can also apply to people, particularly in older usage, indicating membership in an aristocratic or socially prominent family. More generally, it may suggest that something has an established history or has been carefully refined over generations. In contemporary English, the animal sense is dominant, while the historical social sense can imply inherited privilege. The term is generally formal and descriptive, though its use about pedigree animals or elite families may carry connotations of status, exclusivity, and selective breeding.
adjectiveHaving a recorded or well-established line of descent. Especially of animals, it means belonging to a line whose purity of breed has been preserved through selective breeding; it can also describe a person with an aristocratic or distinguished family background.
- Having a recorded or well-established line of descent.
- Belonging to a selectively bred line of animals whose ancestry and breed purity have been preserved.
"The breeder showed the pedigreed spaniel's family tree to prospective buyers."
"Several pedigreed dogs were shown at the annual exhibition."
"She was proud of her pedigreed mare, whose ancestors included champion racehorses."
A pedigreed animal has a documented family tree; pedigreed people once claimed something even rarer: distinguished ancestry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pedigreed come from?
The English noun pedigree was borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-French pedigree. The adjective pedigreed was formed by adding -ed to pedigree, originally meaning “having a pedigree” or “having a recorded lineage.” Older English also used the variant spelling pedegree, while the related medieval Latin form pedigri reflects the word's further history.
How pedigreed is actually used
The word is now most common in animal breeding, especially for dogs and horses. It was formerly used of people with noble ancestry, a sense that can sound dated or elitist today. It is also sometimes used figuratively for products, institutions, or ideas with an established lineage.
Easily confused with pedigreed
Pedigree is a noun referring to a recorded family lineage, whereas pedigreed is the adjective describing something that has such a lineage.