granny

or gran·nie

[gran-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR granny ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural gran·nies.

Informal. a grandmother.

an elderly woman.

a fussy person.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a nurse or midwife.

granny knot.

adjective, gran·ni·er, gran·ni·est for 6.

of, relating to, or thought to be like a grandmother or an elderly or old-fashioned woman: granny notions about what's proper.

(of clothing for women or girls) being loose-fitted and having such features as high necklines, puff sleeves, long skirts, and ruffles and lace trimmings: a granny blouse; a granny nightgown.

Origin of granny

1655–65; grand(mother) + -y², with -nd- > -nn-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for granny

matriarch, ancestor, granny, grandma, dowager, gram, square, fogy, stick-in-the-mud, fusspot, dotard, mother, fussbudget

Examples from the Web for granny

Contemporary Examples of granny

I was aware of it when I was a girl and I often asked Granny about it, but she was very quiet and never said anything.
Kate Middleton’s Code-Breaking Granny: Duchess Uncovers Wartime Secrets
Tim Teeman
June 19, 2014
My Granny the Escort concludes with two of the women reaching a crossroads of sorts.
‘My Granny The Escort’: Meet 85-Year-Old Sheila Vogel-Coupe, Britain’s Oldest Prostitute
Marlow Stern
June 3, 2014
Unlike his granny, Harry does carry cash, and paid for his own ticket and those of his staff.
Harry Visits Colosseum - And Pays For His Own Ticket!
Tom Sykes
May 20, 2014
"He called me granny," the actress told Kate, according to a report on Sky News.
Helen Mirren Shakes a Finger At The Queen!
Tom Sykes
February 18, 2014
Harry had better come back with a clean chin or else granny will not be pleased.
Prince Harry Ordered to Shave His Polar Beard
Tom Sykes
January 6, 2014

Historical Examples of granny

So I will, plase your honour, my lard; sure I've a right to know, for she's my own granny.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Oh, how glad you must have felt when you saw him home again, safe and sound, dear granny.
Georgie's Present
Miss Brightwell
He looks triumphantly at granny as much as to say, 'Observe me; I'm not going to say a word about him.'
Echoes of the War
J. M. Barrie
Granny signs to the Colonel and he immediately says, with remarkable cunning, 'Oh—that!
Echoes of the War
J. M. Barrie
Granny signs to them to go, and Barbara, kisses both the Colonel's hands.
Echoes of the War
J. M. Barrie

British Dictionary definitions for granny

granny

grannie

noun plural -nies

informal words for grandmother

informal an irritatingly fussy person

a revolving cap on a chimneypot that keeps out rain, etc

Southern US a midwife or nurse

See granny knot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for granny

1660s, according to OED, most likely a diminutive and contraction of grannam, shortened form of grandame, rather than from grandmother. The sailor's granny knot (by 1803, originally granny's knot, so called because "it is the natural knot tied by women or landsmen" [Smyth, "Sailor's Word-Book," 1867]. Granny Smith apples (1895) named for Maria Ann Smith (d.1870) of Australia, who originated them.