grandmother

grandmother
   Used to the speaker’s grandmother. This full form is especially likely to be used by middle and upperclass speakers, as in Anglo-Saxon Attitudes, by Angus Wilson. At lower social levels it is likely to become ‘Gran’ or ‘Granny’. These and other common variants are dealt with separately: correspondents sometimes mention more individual family practices in addressing grandmothers. Patrick Montague-Smith, for example, called his father’s mother ‘Gangan’ and his mother’s mother ‘Gabbie’. Other grandchildren in the family used ‘Gingy’. Mrs Gillian Callinan also reported on the use of ‘Gabbie’, though in her family this was used to a grandfather, the grandmother being ‘Gaggie’. All forms clearly represent infant attempts to pronounce long words, with the resulting words being affectionately maintained by those concerned.

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • grandmother — ► NOUN ▪ the mother of one s father or mother. ● teach one s grandmother to suck eggs Cf. ↑teach one s grandmother to suck eggs …   English terms dictionary

  • Grandmother — Grand moth er, n. The mother of one s father or mother. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • grandmother — (n.) early 15c., from GRAND (Cf. grand) (adj.) + MOTHER (Cf. mother) (n.1), probably on analogy of Fr. grand mère. Replaced earlier GRANDAME (Cf. grandame) (c.1200) and O.E. ealdemodor …   Etymology dictionary

  • grandmother — [gran′muth΄ər, grand′muth΄ər, gra′muth΄ər] n. 1. the mother of one s father or mother: also a term of respectful familiarity to any elderly woman 2. a female ancestor …   English World dictionary

  • grandmother — /ˈgrænmʌðə / (say granmudhuh), /ˈgrænd / (say grand ) noun 1. the mother of one s father or mother. 2. Aboriginal English a woman of one s parents parents generation, especially a biological grandmother or one of her sisters. –phrase 3. just what …  

  • grandmother */*/ — UK [ˈɡræn(d)ˌmʌðə(r)] / US [ˈɡræn(d)ˌmʌðər] noun [countable] Word forms grandmother : singular grandmother plural grandmothers the mother of one of your parents. You are her granddaughter or grandson. You usually call your grandmother gran or… …   English dictionary

  • grandmother — n. a female grandparent. Phrases and idioms: grandmother clock a clock like a grandfather clock but in a smaller case. teach one s grandmother to suck eggs presume to advise a more experienced person. Derivatives: grandmotherly adj …   Useful english dictionary

  • grandmother — Synonyms and related words: beldam, crone, dame, dowager, frump, gammer, grandam, grandma, grannam, granny, great grandmother, hag, old battle ax, old dame, old girl, old granny, old lady, old trot, old wife, old woman, trot, war horse, witch …   Moby Thesaurus

  • grandmother — grand|moth|er [ græn,mʌðər ] noun count ** the mother of one of your parents. You are her granddaughter or grandson. You usually call your grandmother granny or grandma …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • grandmother — [[t]græ̱nmʌðə(r)[/t]] grandmothers N FAMILY Your grandmother is the mother of your father or mother. My grandmothers are both widows …   English dictionary

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