great-grandmother

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

noun

1. a grandmother of one's father or mother.

Word History and Origins

Origin of great-grandmother¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Bancroft’s great-grandmother, who was a young girl at the time, was among those who escaped from the fort and safely made the journey back home on foot.

From Los Angeles Times

Initially treated in a corridor, the great-grandmother was also diagnosed with an acute kidney injury.

From BBC

Her mother Chloe Renshaw, 24, grandmother Jeannette Renshaw, 50, and great-grandmother Jean Precious, 69, all live close to each other in the villages of Mapplewell, Staincross and Darton.

From BBC

“Made in Minnesota! These are my great-grandmother’s recipe for gingersnap cookies,” Walz said.

From Slate

She wanted to tell her great-grandmother, who died in 1964.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Great Grandmother

What does great-grandmother mean?

A great-grandmother is the mother of a person’s grandparent (the grandmother of a person’s parent).

When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandmother. When those children have their own children, she becomes a great-grandmother.

Should great-grandmother be capitalized?

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

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

Example: My kids were lucky enough to get to know three of their great-grandmothers.

Where does great-grandmother come from?

The first records of the word great-grandmother come from the 1500s. 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.

Another great- can be added for each generation. For example, your great-great-grandmother is the mother of your great-grandmother. Most people refer to their great-grandmothers with titles like great-grandma and great-grandmom, sometimes in combination with a name, as in Great-Grandma Marie.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for great-grandmother?

• great-grandma

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

• great-grandfather
• great-grandparent
• grandmother
• mother

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

• great-grandchildren
• love
• kindness
• spoil
• special
• care
• family
• matriarch
• ancestor

How is great-grandmother used in real life?

Great-grandmother can be used as a title, but many families use their own unique names. Still, the title that grandchildren use for their grandmother often stays the same even after she becomes a great-grandmother.

Our great grandmothers couldn't vote; grandmothers fought to vote; mothers influence the vote…
We ARE the vote. #VoterRegistrationDay pic.twitter.com/VKPVRBCwoK

— J.M.B. (@ModelCitizen44) September 27, 2016

"We shouldn't be fighting the same war that our grandmothers had to fight – that our great grandmothers had to fight."

Please tune in to our conversation about race and family with @craigmelvin – Growing Up Black

Watch NOW: https://t.co/U4UZMHn7bF (and replay at 11pmET) pic.twitter.com/CBQrC0QUEk

— NBC News NOW (@NBCNewsNow) June 16, 2020

Alice Walker says in her title essay for “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” that quilting or arranging flowers or making a garden were ways our great grandmothers/ancestors created beauty or made art or told stories when literacy was forbidden or inaccessible.

— Joshunda Sanders (@JoshundaSanders) October 16, 2018

 

 

Try using great-grandmother!

Is great-grandmother used correctly in the following sentence?

I’m a great-grandmother of 18, a grandmother of 12, and a mother of four, so I know a thing or two about temper tantrums.