Etymograph

English

pedigree

Pedigree comes from Anglo-Norman pé de grue, from Latin pes ‘foot’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-1‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓds2‘foot’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pets2‘foot’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpes3‘foot’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400pé de grue3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2012pedigree3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *pṓds
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin pes
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English pedigree
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex: “This connection between sexual and spiritual impurity had an…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *pṓds‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓdsWiktionary, Latin pes‘foot’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*petsWiktionary, Latin pes‘foot’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpesWiktionary, English pedigree‘foot’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400pé de grueWiktionary, English pedigree
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2012pedigreeWiktionary, English pedigree. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex: “This connection between sexual and spiritual impurity had an…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’

pilot, fetch, expedition, footing, impeachment, footed, fet, expedite, ped, fetter, pada, 48 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pṓds ‘foot’

foot, feet, podium, pew, pug, baht, puy, poy, tripos, 37 more

through Proto-Italic *pets ‘foot’

pie, pawn, quadruped, 13 more

through Latin pes ‘foot’

pioneer, pedestrian, pedal, pes, impede, impediment, centipede, petiole, peon, pedicure, pedometer, expeditious, biped, pedicel, pedicle, 12 more

Today it means

noun A chart, list, or record of ancestors, to show breeding, especially distinguished breeding.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pedigree”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *pṓds, Latin pes. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ped- / pedigree

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