great-grandfather

American  

[greyt-gran-fah-ther, -grand-] / ˌgreɪtˈgrænˌfɑ ðər, -ˈgrænd- /

noun

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

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Usage

What does great-grandfather mean? A great-grandfather is the father of a person’s grandparent (the grandfather of a person’s parent).When a father’s child has their own children, that father becomes a grandfather. When those children have their own children, he becomes a great-grandfather.Should great-grandfather be capitalized?Great-grandfather should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Great-grandfather that I miss him. But great-grandfather does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my great-grandfather that I miss him. Example: My kids were lucky enough to get to know three of their great-grandfathers.

Etymology

Origin of great-grandfather

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

The North Korean leader's daughter Kim Ju Ae has made her first visit to a mausoleum housing her grandfather and great-grandfather, state media images showed Friday, further solidifying her place as her father's successor.

From Barron's

So too his great-grandfather, grandfather and father—watchmakers all.

From The Wall Street Journal

His firm Gerald McDonald and Co is named after his great-grandfather, a pioneer who was importing orange concentrate as far back as the 1940s from what was then British-mandate Palestine.

From BBC

A great-grandfather who broke his leg in a fall spent seven hours lying on the floor of a garden centre while waiting for an ambulance.

From BBC

My great-grandfather was a port officer in Algiers, spying for the Allies.

From The Wall Street Journal