Definition of pedigree

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< pediform

pediment >

ped·i·gree    (pd-gr) KEY 

NOUN:

1. 1. A line of ancestors; a lineage.
   2. A list of ancestors; a family tree.
2. A chart of an individual's ancestors used in human genetics to analyze Mendelian inheritance of certain traits, especially of familial diseases.
3. A list of the ancestors of a purebred animal.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English pedegru, from Anglo-Norman pe de grue : pe, foot (from Latin ps; see pedi-) + de, of (from Latin d; see de-) + grue, crane (from the resemblance of a crane's foot to the lines of succession on a genealogical chart) (from Vulgar Latin *gr, from Latin grs, gru-; see ger-² in Indo-European roots)

OTHER FORMS:
pedi·greed(Adjective)