granny

or gran·nie

[ gran-ee ]

noun

, plural gran·nies.

1. Informal. a grandmother.
2. an elderly woman.
3. a fussy person.
4. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a nurse or midwife.
5. granny knot.

adjective

, gran·ni·er, gran·ni·est

1. of, relating to, or thought to be like a grandmother or an elderly or old-fashioned woman:

   granny notions about what's proper.

2. (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.

granny

/ ˈɡrænɪ /

noun

1. See grandmother
   informal words for grandmother
2. informal.
   an irritatingly fussy person
3. a revolving cap on a chimneypot that keeps out rain, etc
4. a midwife or nurse
5. See granny knot
   See granny knot

Word History and Origins

Origin of granny¹

1655–65; grand(mother) + -y ², with -nd- > -nn-

Example Sentences

Wood predicts the granny style will be stronger than ever in 2021.

From Washington Post

In 2017, the city exceeded new state laws to make it easier and cheaper for homeowners to build granny flats – standalone second homes – on their properties.

From Voice of San Diego

In 2016 and 2017 combined, homeowners completed construction on 22 granny flats, according to city data.

From Voice of San Diego

Instead, he said Faulconer has opted to break up exclusionary neighborhoods by pushing granny flat reforms.

From Voice of San Diego

Property owners can right now build granny flats on single-family lots.

From Voice of San Diego

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.

From The Daily Beast

My Granny the Escort concludes with two of the women reaching a crossroads of sorts.

From The Daily Beast

She looks like your typical granny—gray hair, wrinkles, dentures—and slowly stumbles about her apartment in a magenta tracksuit.

From The Daily Beast

Unlike his granny, Harry does carry cash, and paid for his own ticket and those of his staff.

From The Daily Beast

"He called me granny," the actress told Kate, according to a report on Sky News.

From The Daily Beast

"Never mind granny," she said, when they reached the house and Mandy stopped to say how d'ye to the old woman in the chair.

From Project Gutenberg

Probably he was some kin to old Granny Harris, who had distant connections in the North, some one suggested.

From Project Gutenberg

But it's your manner; you seem in such a hurry always to explain that granny wasn't our own grandmother.'

From Project Gutenberg

But at Stannesley, where we lived before, granny always got us very nice dresses: she used often to send to London for them.

From Project Gutenberg

The way that she seemed to start up just when—so soon after we had lost dear granny, and in a sense our home.'

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ancestor
• grandma
• matriarch