pedigree
/ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/noun, adjective, verb
pedigree is spelled P-E-D-I-G-R-E-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pedigree means “A chart, list, or record of ancestors, to show breeding, especially distinguished breeding” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pedigree is pedigrees.
How many letters and syllables are in pedigree?
| Letters | 8: P-E-D-I-G-R-E-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pedigree?
Pedigree appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pedigree?
- UK /ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/
Pedigree has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pedigree.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pedigree
- pedigrees plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pedigreeing participle, present
- pedigreed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pedigree mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A chart, list, or record of ancestors, to show breeding, especially distinguished breeding.
- 2
A person's ancestral history; ancestry, lineage.
- 3
Good breeding or ancestry.
- 4
The history or provenance of an idea, custom etc.
- 5
The ancestry of a domesticated animal, especially a dog or horse.
adjective
- 1
Having a pedigree.
- 2
Purebred.
verb
- 1
To determine the pedigree of (an animal).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pedigree in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense chart of ancestors:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pédigrée |
| German | Ahnentafel |
| Portuguese | pedigree |
| Spanish | pedigrí |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pedigree come from?
From Anglo-Norman pé de grue, a variant of Old French pié de gru (“foot of a crane”), from Latin pes (“foot”) + grus (“crane”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).