great-grandson

A man proudly shows a photograph of his great-grandson.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A male descendant two generations removed: "great-grandson" refers to the son of one's grandchild. Specifically, it is the male child of a person's grandson or granddaughter.

Usage Examples

• (The speaker's grandchild's son is a young boy.)
• (The female descendant's grandson's son was introduced to her.)
• (A genealogical record indicates a male descendant two generations below.)

Advanced Usage

• "great-grandson" in genealogical contexts: Used to specify a precise familial relationship in family history research.

  • The will left a small inheritance to each great-grandson. (The legal document named male descendants two generations below as beneficiaries.)

• "great-grandson" in historical narratives: Often used to describe lineage over centuries.

  • The king's great-grandson inherited the throne after a long war. (The monarch's descendant two generations below became the next ruler.)

Variants and Related Words

• Great-granddaughter (n): a female descendant two generations removed (the daughter of one's grandchild).

  • His great-granddaughter is a talented pianist. (His grandchild's daughter is skilled in music.)

• Great-grandchild (n): a child of one's grandchild, of any gender.

  • She has three great-grandchildren: two boys and one girl. (She has three descendants two generations below.)

• Great-grandparent (n): the parent of one's grandparent (two generations above).

  • My great-grandparents immigrated from Ireland. (My ancestors two generations above me came from Ireland.)

Synonyms

• Descendant: a person who is descended from a particular ancestor (general term).

  • He is a direct descendant of the poet. (He is a descendant, but not necessarily a great-grandson.)

• Grandson: the son of one's child (one generation removed, not two).

  • My grandson is older than my great-grandson. (One generation versus two generations below.)

Related Idioms

• "To the third generation": referring to descendants up to and including great-grandchildren.

  • The family business has been passed down to the third generation. (The business now belongs to great-grandchildren.)

• "Two generations down": describing a relationship two levels below in a family tree.

  • He is two generations down from his great-grandfather. (He is a great-grandson.)