GRANDMOTHER Definition & Meaning

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grandmother

[ gran-muhth-er, grand-, gram- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the mother of one's father or mother.
a female ancestor.

grandmother

/ ˈɡrænd-; ˈɡrænˌmʌðə /

noun

the mother of one's father or mother
often plural a female ancestor
often capital a familiar term of address for an old woman
teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
See egg 1

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of grandmother¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; grand-, mother ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Zayn's grandmother strenuously denies the allegations that she has changed her residence address.

From

David Chandler was charged with assault for shooting a Black man in the back in 2018 while the man was experiencing a mental health crisis at his grandmother’s home.

From

Neevee, who runs a general store, is tough but likable, and an excellent, playful grandmother to Bun.

From

“I wanted to make sure that we weren’t just thinking about depression in the way that our grandmothers think of depression, not being able to get out of bed, crying,” Joseph said.

From

The version I remember best comes from West Virginia, where my grandmother — daughter of a coal miner, master of the frugal feast — made hers with snapped spaghetti, ground chuck and a generous pour of Ragu.

From

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More About Grandmother

What does��grandmother mean?

A grandmother is the mother of a person’s parent.

When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandmother.

Less commonly, grandmother can be used in a general way to refer to a female ancestor, as in This would not be possible without the contributions of those who came before us, our many grandmothers.

Should grandmother be capitalized?

Grandmother should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandmother that I miss her.��

But grandmother does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my grandmother that I miss her.��

Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandmother, as long as you call her.

Where does��grandmother come from?

The first records of the word grandmother come from around 1400. The prefix grand- is used in family terms to indicate a person who is one generation removed, as in grandparent and grandchild. (The prefix great- indicates yet another generation, as in great-grandmother.)

Grandmothers often have special bonds with their grandchildren (who they’re known to spoil with love, affection, and candy). It’s common for grandchildren to refer to their grandmothers with informal names. Common variants of grandmother include grandma, grandmom, gramma, grandmamma, gran, granny, and nana, but many families have their own specific version, such as meemaw and MaMotts.

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What are some other forms related to grandmother?

grandmotherly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for grandmother?

grandma
grandmom
grandmama
grandmamma
granny
nana

What are some words that share a root or word element with grandmother?��

What are some words that often get used in discussing grandmother?

How is��grandmother used in real life?

There are many informal variants of the word grandmother. When it’s used as a proper name, Grandmother should be capitalized.

Here's to all the grandmothers who are still raising their children's children and doing the best they know.

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah)

My grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease and fully recognized me all day today. I got a chance to connect with her and fill her in on life 🌹

— Francheska (@HeyFranHey)

My grandmother is now in love with .

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande)

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Try using��grandmother!

Is grandmother used correctly in the following sentence?

I’m a grandmother of two and a mother of five, so I know a thing or two about temper tantrums.

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