n. 1. a. A line of ancestors; a lineage. b. 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. 4. A continuous history or series of precedents, especially considered as evidence of respectability or legitimacy: "The practice of larding legislation with special interest lucre has, of course, a lengthy pedigree in American politics" (Jonathan Chait). [Middle English pedegru, from Anglo-Norman pe de grue : pe, foot (from Latin pēs; see PEDI-) + de, of (from Latin dē; see DE-) + grue, crane (from the resemblance of a crane's foot to the lines of succession on a genealogical chart) (from Vulgar Latin *grūā, from Latin grūs, gru-; see gerə-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] pedi·greed′ adj. |
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