grandmother
/'græn,mʌðə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. The mother of one's father or mother: A female ancestor who is the parent of one's own parent. 2. (Informal, affectionate) An elderly woman, especially one who is kind and nurturing: Often used as a term of endearment or respect for an older woman, not necessarily a biological relation.
Usage
The word "grandmother" is a countable noun. It is typically used with a possessive determiner (e.g., my, your, his, her) or preceded by an article (the, a) when referring to a specific person. It is a formal familial term but is commonly used in everyday conversation.
Examples
- Noun:
- My grandmother bakes the best apple pie. (This refers to the speaker's parent's mother.)
- She went to visit her grandmother in the countryside.
- He has fond memories of his grandmother reading him stories.
- The grandmother in the story was a wise old woman. (Here, it refers to a character, not necessarily the speaker's relation.)
Advanced Usage
- "To be one's own grandmother": A phrase from a paradoxical riddle, sometimes used humorously to describe an impossibly convoluted family relationship or situation.
- "Grandmother clause": A legal or regulatory term (often "grandfather clause") that allows an old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations while a new rule applies to future cases. The term "grandmother clause" is a less common, informal variant.
Variants and Related Words
- Grandma (n): A common, informal term for grandmother.
- I'm calling Grandma on her birthday.
- Granny (n): Another informal, often affectionate term for grandmother.
- Nana (n): A familiar, affectionate nickname for a grandmother.
- Grandmotherly (adj): Having qualities typical of a kind, nurturing grandmother.
- She gave me some grandmotherly advice.
- Great-grandmother (n): The mother of one's grandmother or grandfather.
Synonyms
- Grandparent (n): A more general term for a grandmother or grandfather.
- Matriarch (n): A woman who is the head of a family or tribe. (This emphasizes authority and status rather than just the familial relationship.)
Related Phrases
- Grandmother's footsteps: A children's game where one player (the "grandmother") turns their back and other players try to sneak up on them.
- Teach one's grandmother to suck eggs: (Idiom) To offer advice to someone who is more experienced or knowledgeable in a particular area than you are; to presume to teach an expert.
- Telling a chef how to boil water is like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
Noun
- the mother of your father or mother