bestemor

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From beste, the best, and mor, mother, after Dutch and Middle Low German beste moder, literally "best mother". The use of beste- may be a reference to the state of being a generation older than the parents (compare the use of grand- in grandmother).

Noun

bestemor irregular (definite singular bestemoren/bestemora; indefinite plural bestemødre/bestemødrer; definite plural bestemødrene)

1. grandmother (mother of someone’s parent)

   Livet har mange begynnelser. En av dem er den dagen en blir bestemor. (Gudrun Vinsrygg)

   Life has many beginnings. One of them is the day one becomes a grandmother.

Synonyms

• mormor
• farmor

Related terms

• bestefar
• bestemann
• bestevenn
• besteborger
• bestenotering

See also

• morfar
• farfar

References

• “bestemor” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “bestemor” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary – Dokumentasjonsprosjektet.
• Online Etymology Dictionary entry on "grandfather"
• The Danish Dictionary entry on "bedstemoder"

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From beste, the best, and mor, mother, after Dutch and Middle Low German beste moder, literally "best mother". The use of beste- may be a reference to the state of being a generation older than the parents (compare the use of grand- in grandmother).

Noun

bestemor irregular (definite singular bestemora/[bestemori]; indefinite plural bestemødrer; definite plural bestemødrene)

1. grandmother (mother of someone’s parent)

   Løgna har hatet til mor, og sorga til bestemor. (proverb about lies)

   The lie has a mother's hate and a grandmother's sorrow.

Synonyms

• beste
• mormor
• farmor

Related terms

• bestefar
• bestemann
• besteven/bestevenn
• besteborgar
• bestenotering

See also

• morfar
• farfar

Usage notes

Note the form in brackets, they indicate that the form is optional for students only and are not allowed in official texts. These forms are either conservative (from or close to traditional Nynorsk) or radical (from or close to Bokmål) and are in Norwegian called klammeformer ("bracket forms") and originated from the idea to eventually merge Bokmål and Nynorsk into one written language. This idea was officially abandoned in 2005, followed by the system being abolished in Bokmål, but it was kept in Nynorsk.

References

• “bestemor” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “bestemor” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary – Dokumentasjonsprosjektet.
• Online Etymology Dictionary entry on "grandfather"
• The Danish Dictionary entry on "bedstemoder"
• web site containing quotes and citations