great-grandmother

American  

[greyt-gran-muhth-er, -grand-, -gram-] / ˌgreɪtˈgrænˌmʌð ər, -ˈgrænd-, -ˈgræm- /

noun

great-grandmothers plural

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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• great-grandmothers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of great-grandmother

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Upon being told that her great grandmother had died, she seemed to want clarity and asserted with partial relief, “Great Gran is dead . . . but not squished.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

I would try my absolute hardest probably to save that antique to have the memory of my great grandmother.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2025

Hardy says her great grandmother, Annie, was one of the first female firefighters in the US and her grandmother was the first woman to teach gym in Brooklyn.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2024

An old oval framed portrait of him hung in the home of Dennin’s great grandmother until her death.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

I couldn’t imagine dragging my last name with me from sunup to sundown, but JimmyTrotter and his great grandmother wouldn’t have it any other way.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia