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Definition
the line of ancestors of an animalor more rarely:
the line of ancestors for a person; or general background of a person such as experience and education; or any background such as that of an idea
- Do you know the dog's pedigree?
pedigree = the line of ancestors of an animal
- Unless you are an expert in the breed you are looking to buy, it's unlikely that you, or any novice buyer, will be able to determine for yourself the quality of any untitled dogs in a pedigree.
- The network news likes to hire journalists with a distinguished newspaper pedigree.
- The idea has a long and impressive pedigree, but it failed miserably in the new economy.
- I had no pedigree, no inherited title; so in the king's and nobles' eyes I was mere dirt; the people regarded me with wonder and awe, but there was no reverence mixed with it; through the force of inherited ideas they were not able to conceive of anything being entitled to that except pedigree and lordship.Mark Twain -- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- For the next week I thought lovingly of Mimi, whose character was so superior to the character of fancy-pedigreed, college-educated women.Russell Baker -- Growing Up
- He has escorted women of unimpeachable breeding and pedigree.J.D. Robb -- Naked in Death
- He has a long pedigree, a crooked tail and the drollest "phiz" in dogdom.Helen Keller -- Story of My Life
- Who can show a pedigree like Leviathan?Herman Melville -- Moby Dick
- Fine old families; their pedigrees ensure a large degree of sticking together and giving advice to one another.Robert Ludlum -- The Bourne Ultimatum
- I have spent the last eighty years and more listening to a lady detail the pedigree of every dinner guest tonight.Gail Carson Levine -- Ella Enchanted
- But you'll labor like Thomas Aquinas over a rat-dog's pedigree.Robert Bolt -- A Man for All Seasons
- This was rather mortifying to George, who had paid a stiff price for Fey and her pedigree.Arthur C. Clarke -- Childhood's End
- Earlier in the year, he added to this pedigreed resume his appointment as the undersecretary of state to John Foster Dulles.W. William Winokur -- The Perfect Game
- In fact, she seemed to think I was exaggerating the pedigree of this place.Kazuo Ishiguro -- The Remains of the Day
- 'It was his, and his uncle's before him, and Lord knows who before him; and that's all I can tell you of its pedigree.'Charles Dickens -- Little Dorrit
- I might think that—except that no one's imprinting on me, notwithstanding my impressive pedigree.Stephenie Meyer -- Breaking Dawn
- A curved, gilded staircase dominates the area, creating a picture-perfect setting for couples with long dresses and tuxes, tasteful accents and pedigrees.Susan Ee -- Angelfall
- Woolf had the ideal pedigree for a jockey.Laura Hillenbrand -- Seabiscuit
- As you can imagine, its pedigree and properties make it priceless.Henry H. Neff -- The Second Siege
Dictionary / pronunciation — Google®Dictionary list — Onelook.com®Wikipedia - Animal PedigreeWikipedia - Pedigree ChartPictures — Google Images®