Definition

Noun: - An aunt of one's father or mother: A great-aunt is the sister of one's grandparent. This term specifies a familial relationship that is one generation removed from a direct aunt (who would be a parent's sister).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • I visited my great-aunt in the countryside last summer.
  • My great-aunt has wonderful stories about my grandfather when he was a boy.
  • She inherited a necklace from her great-aunt.

Advanced Usage

• "Great-aunt" vs. "grandaunt": "Grandaunt" is a less common but synonymous term for the same relationship.
  • Her grandaunt, whom she called "Auntie Grace," was her grandmother's sister.

Variants and Related Words

• Grandaunt (noun): A synonym for great-aunt.
• Great-uncle (noun): The brother of one's grandparent; the male counterpart to a great-aunt.
• Great-auntie (noun): An informal, affectionate variant of "great-aunt."

Synonyms

• Grandaunt: A direct synonym.
• Aunt once removed: A technical genealogical term describing the same relationship, though less common in everyday speech.

Notes on Meaning

• The prefix "great-" in family terms like "great-aunt," "great-grandmother," or "great-nephew" indicates an additional generation of separation from the speaker. A great-aunt is not a sibling of the speaker's parent (which would be a standard aunt) but a sibling of the speaker's grandparent.

Noun

1. an aunt of your father or mother