grandpappy

[ gran-pap-ee, grand-, gram- ]

noun

, Dialect.

, plural grand·pap·pies.

1. grandfather.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandpappy¹

First recorded in 1935–40; grand- + pappy ²

Example Sentences

“Now I have an entourage of country performers who think I’m their grandpappy.”

From New York Times

"Been a long time. Used to go down south to visit my grandpappy and he'd always have that kind of stuff in his pocket. Be all melted and still be good. And Grandma used to give us strawberry candy, and when she ran out, she'd give us cherry Life Savers."

From Literature

“This fella might be my grandpappy.”

From Nature

“I was petrified and couldn’t go to sleep. We had the Mud Lake Monster, and we had Grandpappy.”

From Slate

It’s not uncommon for camps to have their own camp-specific stories and legends, the way Minikani has the Mud Lake Monster and Grandpappy and IHC has something named Cropsey.

From Slate

Related Words

• ancestor
• grandpa
• patriarch

More About Grandpappy

What does grandpappy mean?

Grandpappy is an informal word for grandfather—the father of a person’s parent.

A much more common synonym is grandpa. The word pappy is an informal way to say father (and it’s sometimes also used as an informal term for grandfather).

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

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

Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandpappy, as long as you call him.

Where does grandpappy come from?

The first records of the word grandpappy come from around the 1800s. The word pappy is first recorded in the 1700s and comes from the word papa, another informal word meaning “father.” 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-grandpappy.)

Grandfathers 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 grandfathers with informal names. Grandpa is perhaps the most common variant of the word grandfather, but there are many others, including grandpappy, grandpapa, grandpop, grampa, and gramps. Many families have their own specific version, such as Pop-Pop, Poppy, and Pa Pa.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for grandpappy?

• grandpa
• grandpapa
• gramps
• grandpop
• pop-pop
• grandfather

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

• grandparent
• grandma
• pa
• papa
• pappy

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

• grandchildren
• love
• kindness
• spoil
• special
• care
• family
• patriarch

How is grandpappy used in real life?

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

Your gonna be a grandpappy early 😂

— Lexii_TheFoodie (@LexiiMarshea) August 4, 2020

But as my grandpappy used to say, “What can it hurt? Worst they can say is no.”

— Michael Girdley (@mgirdley) August 1, 2020

Like my grandpappy used to say, “Never attribute to malice which is adequately explained by venture capitalists having no souls”.

— Zach Holman (@holman) April 15, 2019

 

 

Try using grandpappy!

Is grandpappy used correctly in the following sentence?

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