great-grandmother

[greyt-gran-muhth-er, -grand-, -gram-]

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of great-grandmother¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

His great-grandmother, Hernandez, said she still thinks of him every day.

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“He always begged me not to send him to his parents,” said Eva Hernandez, Noah’s great-grandmother.

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The 16-year-old has enjoyed the country dance style since she was seven, following in the footsteps of her mum, grandmother and great-grandmother.

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Ross added that after she got involved in the project, she learned that her own great-grandmother Helen had worked at the Kaiser Shipyard.

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The names given to the princess - Charlotte Elizabeth Diana - include references to her grandmother Diana and great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

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When To Use

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.