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

His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.

From Los Angeles Times

Prosser’s son, who has two children, has been absent for the death of his great-grandfather, his sister’s divorce and his brother’s health problems during the Ford’s current deployment, his father said.

From The Wall Street Journal

One sailor missed the death of his great-grandfather.

From The Wall Street Journal

As rationale for the shift in thinking, intelligence officials pointed to the girl attending more marquee military celebrations, as well as a recent New Year’s Day visit to the sacred mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather, both former North Korean leaders, are on display.

From The Wall Street Journal

“That’s my great-grandfather, Ricardo Rossi. He was a famous ringmaster in Europe before he came over here to start his own circus. The picture doesn’t show his stature in perspective very well. He was four inches shorter than I am. He died when I was five years old. He was ninety-six. The day before he died he was in the ring, training a stallion.”

From Literature