great-grandparent

American  

[greyt-gran-pair-uhnt, -par-, -grand-] / ˌgreɪtˈgrænˌpɛər ənt, -ˌpær-, -ˈgrænd- /

noun

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

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Usage

What does great-grandparent mean? A great-grandparent is the parent of a person’s grandparent (the grandparent of a person’s parent).When a parent’s child has children, that parent becomes a grandparent. When those children have children, the grandparent becomes a great-grandparent. Great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers are great-grandparents.In your family tree, you have four grandparents and eight great-grandparents.Example: My kids were lucky enough to get to know three of their great-grandparents.

Etymology

Origin of great-grandparent

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The plot of land where Starbucks was birthed faces a little park where tourists grazing the market bring their takeout fish and chips; pastries; and, of course, Starbucks Frappuccinos, and, like an old great-grandparent sitting quietly in a corner, the original location is surrounded by its more modern spawn, perhaps gazing with both fondness and a tinge of wistful envy at its legacy.

From Seattle Times

The kind of people who have the time and the desire to wage a culture war on schools tend to be more of the grandparent or even great-grandparent age.

From Salon

The length of those shared identical autosomal segments will total about 3,600 centiMorgans, a unit for measuring spans of DNA, while you and a first cousin or great-grandparent, at two additional degrees of remove, should share about a quarter of that.

From New York Times

In addition to his brother, Jackson is survived by his parents, grandparents, a great-grandparent and several aunts and uncles, among other loved ones.

From Fox News

You just do it by comparing DNA instead of last names or a common great-grandparent.

From Slate