Grandmother
//ˈɡɹænˌmʌðə// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mother of someone's parent.
"[…] man may admit that his grandfathers and grandmothers were mon[keys a]nd monkeyesses if he want^([sic]) to; that is his privilege."
- 2 the mother of your father or mother wordnet
- 3 A female ancestor or progenitor.
- 4 In Amazonian shamanism and related contexts, a reverential name for the ayahuasca vine or brew, symbolizing its role as a wise, guiding spirit.
""Enter ayahuasca, the mystical grandmother of the psychedelic family, a beacon of profound spiritual experiences""
Example
More examples"My youngest brother was brought up by our grandmother."
Etymology
From Middle English graundmodre, grauntmoder, granmoder; equivalent to grand- + mother. Compare French grand-mère. Superseded earlier eldmother, eldermother.
Related phrases
co-grandmothercoastal grandmotherdon't teach your grandmother how to milk ducksdon't teach your grandmother how to suck eggsdon't teach your grandmother to steal sheepdon't teach your grandmother to suck eggsgod-grandmothergrandmother cellgrandmother clockgrandmother rulegrandmother-in-lawgreat great great grandmother
More for "grandmother"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.