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grandmamma

[ grand-muh-mah; gran-mah-muh, grand-, gram- ]

noun

, Informal.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of grandmamma1

First recorded in 1740–50; grand- + mamma 1
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Example Sentences

Grandmamma sits in her quaint arm-chair— Never was lady more sweet and fair!

But Marie-Louise, gasping with emotion, repeated: "Grand—grand —grandmamma is putting on her clothes, she is coming downstairs."

If you go toward the south, there is Ashley-Wold and grandmamma, Mrs. Galloway.

"Grandmamma is quite proud of her little grandson already," said Xenie, with tender archness.

The dowager was promoted to the title of grandmamma, John boasted the proud title of father, and the mother's joy knew no bounds.

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More About Grandmamma

What does grandmamma mean?

Grandmamma is an informal word for grandmother—the mother of a person’s parent.

Grandmamma can also be spelled grandmama. Both words are much less common than grandma. The words mama and mamma are informal ways of saying mother and are much more commonly used.

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

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

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

Where does grandmamma come from?

The first records of the word grandmamma come from around the 1700s. The word mamma is a variant of mama, which is first recorded in the 1500s but was certainly used in speech much earlier than that. 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. Grandma is perhaps the most common variant of the word grandmother, but there are many others, including grandmamma, grandmom, gramma, granny, and nana. Many families have their own specific version, such as meemaw and MaMotts.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to grandmamma?

  • grandmama (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for grandmamma?

What are some words that share a root or word element with grandmamma

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

How is grandmamma used in real life?

Grandmamma is one of the many informal variants of the word grandmother. When it’s used as a proper name, it should be capitalized.

 

 

Try using grandmamma!

Is grandmamma used correctly in the following sentence?

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

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