¦ noun
1. the record of descent of an animal, showing it to be pure-bred.
2. a person's lineage or ancestry.
a genealogical table.
3. the history or provenance of a person or thing.
Derivatives
pedigreed adjective
Word History
Pedigree comes from Old French pe de grue, which literally meant 'crane's foot'. The development of the modern meaning (recorded from the 17th century) arose from a mark used to denote succession in pedigrees or family trees, which had three branching lines and was likened to a bird's foot. The first, medieval sense of pedigree in English was 'family tree, genealogical table'.