pedigree
pronunciation
How to pronounce pedigree in British English:
UK [ˈpedɪɡriː]
How to pronounce pedigree in American English:
US [ˈpedɪɡriː]
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- Noun:
- the descendants of one individual
- line of descent of a pure-bred animal
- ancestry of a purebred animal
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- Adjective:
- having a list of ancestors as proof of being a purebred animal
Word Origin
- pedigree
- pedigree: [15] Etymologically, pedigree means ‘crane’s-foot’. It comes from Anglo-Norman *pe de gru, pe meaning ‘foot’ (from Latin pēs) and gru ‘crane’ (from Latin grūs). The notion behind the metaphor is that a bird’s foot, with its three splayed-out toes, resembles the branching lines drawn to illustrate a family tree.=> crane, geranium
- pedigree (n.)
- early 15c., "genealogical table or chart," from Anglo-French pe de gru, a variant of Old French pied de gru "foot of a crane," from Latin pedem accusative of pes "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)) + gruem (nominative grus) "crane," cognate with Greek geranos, Old English cran; see crane (n.)). On old manuscripts, "descent" was indicated by a forked sign resembling the branching lines of a genealogical chart; the sign also happened to look like a bird's footprint. Form influenced in Middle English by association with degree. Meaning "ancestral line" is mid-15c.; of animals, c. 1600. Related: Pedigreed.
Example
- 1. Chrysler 's recent pedigree is complicated .
- 2. So two americans who have questioned its pedigree have created quite a stir .
- 3. We learn that cats can symbolise a thief 's pedigree .
- 4. Babur 's pedigree primed him for greatness .
- 5. In particular , he deplores the incestuous narrowing of the gene pool that modern pedigree breeders have brought about .