grandmother

English

Alternative forms

• grand-mother (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English graundmodre, grauntmoder, granmoder; equivalent to grand- +‎ mother. Compare French grand-mère. Superseded earlier eldmother, eldermother.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðə(r)/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹænˌmʌðə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: grand‧mo‧ther

Noun

grandmother (plural grandmothers)

2. A mother of someone's parent.
   • 1923 May 17, “ […] Advertiser and Mr. Bryan”, in The Progressive Age, Scottsboro, Ala.: James S. Benson, page [4]:

     […] man may admit that his grandfathers and grandmothers were mon[keys a]nd monkeyesses if he want^[sic] to; that is his privilege.

   • 2018, Michael Ondaatje, Warlight, →ISBN, page 13:

     "It's a nightingale floor," our grandmother told us. "It warns us of thieves in the night."

   • 2021 November 19, Madeline Holcombe, “Is your mom warmer with her grandkids than with you? A new study says blame biology”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     “Not only is it showing that the brain of grandmothers is activated with grandparenting, it also shows that the parental brain areas are activated late in life, or perhaps are always activated. Once a mother, always a mother,” Pawluski said.

   • 2025 June 2, Michael Gwilliam, “89-year-old Skyrim Grandma switches to another RPG after 9 years”, in Dexerto‎^[2]:

     Viral YouTuber and grandmother Shirley Curry, better known as ‘Skyrim Grandma’ is finally playing another Bethesda RPG after nine years.

3. A female ancestor or progenitor.
4. In Amazonian shamanism and related contexts, a reverential name for the ayahuasca vine or brew, symbolizing its role as a wise, guiding spirit.
   • 2025, AJ Murillo, The Beginner's Guide to Ego Death Expand Your Mind Through Psychedelic Exploration, →ISBN, page 125:

     "Enter ayahuasca, the mystical grandmother of the psychedelic family, a beacon of profound spiritual experiences"

Synonyms

• (mother of someone's parent): See Thesaurus:grandmother

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “with regard to gender”): grandfather
• (antonym(s) of “with regard to ancestry”): granddaughter, grandson, grandchild

Hypernyms

• grandparent

Hyponyms

• maternal grandmother
• paternal grandmother

Derived terms

• coastal grandmother
• co-grandmother
• don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs, don't teach your grandmother how to milk ducks, don't teach your grandmother to steal sheep
• GILF
• god-grandmother
• grandmother cell
• grandmother clock
• grandmotherfucker
• grandmotherhood
• grandmothering
• grandmother-in-law
• grandmotherish
• grandmotherism
• grandmotherless
• grandmotherly
• grandmother rule
• great-grandmother
• great-great-grandmother
• great great great grandmother
• if my grandmother had balls, she'd be my granddad, if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a streetcar
• maternal grandmother
• paternal grandmother
• sell one's own grandmother
• stepgrandmother
• you kiss your grandmother with that mouth

Related terms

• great-grandfather

Translations

Many languages use different terms for the mother of someone's father and the mother of someone's mother. When such a distinction is required in English, the phrases maternal grandmother (“mother of one's mother”) and paternal grandmother (“mother of one's father”) can be used. Specific translations can be added at those entries.

mother of someone's parent

• Abkhaz: анду (andu)
• Afrikaans: ouma (af)
• Ahtna: -tsucde
• Ainu: フチ (huci)
• Albanian: gjyshe (sq) f
• Aleut: kukax
• Altai:

  Southern Altai: таай эне (taay ene)

• Ambonese Malay: oma, nene
• Amharic: ሴት አያት (set ʾäyat)
• Arabic: جَدَّة (ar) f (jadda)

  Egyptian Arabic: تيتة f (tēta), جدة f (gidda)

  Hijazi Arabic: أنّة f (anna), ستّو f (sittu)

  Juba Arabic: habuuba

  South Levantine Arabic: جدة (jidde), ست (sitt), تيتة f (tēta)

  Sudanese Arabic: حبوبة f (ḥabbōba)

• Aragonese: agüela f
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܣܒܬܐ f (sāḇtā), ܩܫܝܫܬܐ f (qaššīštā)

• Armenian: տատ (hy) (tat), տատիկ (hy) (tatik), հան (hy) (han)
• Aromanian: omã f, babã f
• Asturian: güela (ast) f
• Azerbaijani: nənə (az)

  Cyrillic: нәнә

• Balinese: dadong
• Basque: amona (eu)
• Belarusian: бабу́ля f (babúlja)
• Bengali: নানী (bn) (nani), নানু (bn) (nanu) (informal, maternal), দাদি (bn) (dadi) (paternal), দাদু (bn) (dadu) (informal, paternal)
• Bhojpuri: दादी के बा (dādī kē bā), दादी (dādī)
• Bikol:

  Central Bikol: lola (bcl)

• Breton: mamm-gozh (br) f
• Bulgarian: ба́ба (bg) f (bába)
• Burmese: အဘွား (my) (a.bhwa:), ဘွားဘွား (my) (bhwa:bhwa:)
• Catalan: àvia (ca) f, iaia (ca) f
• Chamicuro: payako
• Cherokee: ᎡᏂᏏ (enisi) (paternal), ᎠᎵᏏ (alisi) (maternal)
• Chichewa: gogo
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 嫲嫲 (maa⁴ maa⁴) (paternal), 婆婆 (po⁴ po^4-2) (maternal), 祖母 (zou² mou⁵) (paternal), 外祖母 (ngoi⁶ zou² mou⁵) (maternal), 外婆 (ngoi⁶ po⁴) (maternal)

  Hakka: 阿婆 (â-phò) (paternal), 姐婆 (chiá-phò) (maternal), 外阿婆 (ngoi-â-phò) (maternal)

  Hokkien: 阿媽 / 阿妈 (zh-min-nan) (a-má), 外媽 / 外妈 (guā-má) (maternal), 內媽 / 内妈 (lāi-má) (paternal, indirect)

  Mandarin: 奶奶 (zh) (nǎinai) (paternal), 祖母 (zh) (zǔmǔ) (paternal), 外祖母 (zh) (wàizǔmǔ) (maternal), 外婆 (zh) (wàipó) (maternal, colloquial), 姥姥 (zh) (lǎolao) (maternal)

• Chinook Jargon: chope
• Chuvash: кукамай (kuk̬amaj), асанне (as̬anne)
• Comorian:

  Ngazidja Comorian: koko class 5/6

• Corsican: mammone
• Crimean Tatar: qartana
• Czech: babička (cs) f
• Danish: bedstemor (da) c, bedste c (informal)
• Dusun:

  Central Dusun: todu

• Dutch: grootmoeder (nl) f, oma (nl) f
• Esperanto: avino (eo)
• Estonian: vanaema (et)
• Ewe: mama
• Extremaduran: ávila
• Faroese: omma (fo) f
• Finnish: isoäiti (fi), mummi (fi), mummo (fi), äidinäiti (fi) (maternal), isänäiti (fi) (paternal)
• French: grand-mère (fr) f, aïeule (fr) f
• Frisian:

  North Frisian:

  Föhr: ualmam f

  Halligen: aol f

  Mooring: ååle f

  West Frisian: beppe (fy) f

• Friulian: none f, ave f
• Galician: avoa (gl) f
• Georgian: ბებია (bebia), დიდედა (dideda), ბებო (bebo), ბაბო (ka) (babo)
• German: Großmutter (de) f, Oma (de) f, Omi (de) f, Großmütterchen n (diminutive), Großmütterlein n (diminutive)

  Alemannic German: Grosi f

  Silesian East Central German: Grußmutter f, Gruußmutter f

  Swabian: Ahna f

• Greek: γιαγιά (el) f (giagiá), μάμμη (el) f (mámmi)

  Ancient Greek: μάμμη f (mámmē), τήθη f (tḗthē)

  Pontic Greek: καλομάνα f (kalomána)

• Greenlandic: aanaq, aanaa
• Guarani:

  Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} jarýi (gn)

• Halkomelem: sísele
• Hamer-Banna: aaká
• Hausa: kaka
• Hawaiian: kupunawahine
• Hebrew: סָבָה (he) f (savá), סָבְתָא (he) f (sávta)
• Hindi: दादी (hi) f (dādī) (paternal), नानी (hi) f (nānī) (maternal)
• Hmong:

  White Hmong: pog, niam tais

• Hungarian: nagyanya (hu), nagymama (hu)
• Icelandic: amma (is)
• Ido: avino (io)
• Igbo: nnenna
• Indonesian: nenek (id)
• Ingrian: ämmä, ämmö
• Ingush: даь-нана (dä-nana) (paternal), наьн-нана (nän-nana) (maternal)
• Interlingua: granmatre (ia), ava (ia)
• Irish: máthair mhór f, seanmháthair (ga) f, mamó f, máthair chríonna f

  Old Irish: senmáthair f

• Italian: nonna (it) f
• Japanese: お婆さん (ja) (おばあさん, obāsan), お婆ちゃん (ja) (おばあちゃん, obāchan) (more informal than お婆さん, spoken more by smaller children), ばば (ja) (baba) (more informal than お婆さん, spoken more by smaller children), 祖母 (ja) (そぼ, sobo) (only about one's own, polite (deferential)), 外祖母 (ja) (がいそぼ, gaisobo) (maternal, only about one's own)
• Javanese: Eyang Putri
• Jeju: 할망 (halmang), 할마니 (halmani) (mildly honorific), 할마님 (halmanim) (honorific), 할멤 (halmem) (honorific)
• Kaitag: абаба́ (ababá), авба (avba), бавба (bavba), аттуба́ (attubá), аттаба (attaba)
• Kashmiri: نانؠ (nān')
• Kazakh: әже (kk) (äje)
• Khmer: ជីដូន (km) (cii doun), យាយ (km) (yiəy), អយ្យកា (km) (ʼayyĕəʼkaa)
• Khoekhoe: ǁgaosas
• Korean: 할머니 (ko) (halmeoni), 외할머니 (ko) (oehalmeoni) (maternal)
• Krio: granny
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: داپیر (dapîr), داپیرە f (dapîre)

  Northern Kurdish: dapîr (ku) f, pîrik (ku) f, pîrê (ku) f

• Kyrgyz: ky, кемпир (ky) (kempir)
• Ladino: nona, avuela, granmama, vava
• Lakota: uŋčí
• Lao: ຍ່າ (nyā) (paternal), ແມ່ເຖົ້າ (mǣ thao) (maternal)
• Latgalian: vace, vaceite, babeņa
• Latin: avia (la) f
• Latvian: vecāmāte f, vecmamma f, vecmāmiņa f
• Lithuanian: bobutė f, senelė (lt) f, močiutė (lt) f
• Low German:

  German Low German: Grootmoder f, Grotmoder f, Grootmodder f, Grootmudder f, Grotmudder f

• Luganda: jjajja omukazi, jajja mukyaala
• Lushootseed: kiaʔ, (vocative form) kayə
• Luxembourgish: Groussmamm f
• Macedonian: ба́ба (mk) f (bába)
• Malay: nenek (ms)
• Malayalam: മുത്തശ്ശി (muttaśśi), അമ്മുമ്മ (ml) (ammumma), അമ്മമ്മ (ml) (ammamma)
• Maltese: nanna f
• Manchu: ᠮᠠᠮᠠ (mama), ᡤᠣᡵᠣ
  ᠮᠠᠮᠠ (goro mama)
• Māori: kuia, tipuna, tupuna, tāua
• Marathi: आजी f (ājī)
• Maricopa: nkyew
• Minangkabau: anduang (min)
• Mirandese: abó f, abó mai f, abó de las saias f, bó f
• Miwok:

  Central Sierra Miwok: ʔamáˑ-

• Mòcheno: nu'na f
• Mon: ယဲာ (yé)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: эмээ (mn) (emee), эмэг эх (emeg ex), эмэг ээж (emeg eež), эмгээ (mn) (emgee)

  Mongolian script: ᠡᠮᠡᠭᠡ (emege)

• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: jì

• Navajo: amá sání (maternal), análí (paternal)
• Neapolitan: nonna f
• Nepali: हजुरआमा (hajuraāmā)
• Nivkh: ытик (əțik)
• Norman: grand'-mère m (Guernsey), manman f (Jersey), grand-méthe f (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bestemor (no) m or f, mormor (no) m or f (maternal), farmor (no) m or f (paternal)

  Nynorsk: bestemor f, mormor f (maternal), farmor f (paternal)

• Nubi: abuba
• Odia: ଜେଜେମାଆ (jejemāā), ଆଈ (āi)
• Ohlone:

  Northern Ohlone: ká̄na 'ek mél̄e

• Ojibwe: (my grandmother) nookomis
• Old English: eald mōdor f
• O'odham: hu'ul (maternal), ka꞉k (paternal)
• Oromo: akkayyaa
• Pannonian Rusyn: баба f (baba)
• Papiamentu: wela
• Pashto: نيا (ps) f (nyā), انا (ps) f (anā)
• Pennsylvania German: Groossmudder f, Groossmammi f
• Persian:

  Dari: بِی‌بِی (bī-bī), مَادَرْکَلَان (mādarkalān), نَنَه (nana), مَادَرْبُزُرْگ (mādarbuzurg)

  Iranian Persian: مادَرْبُزُرْگ (mâdarbozorg), نَنِه (nane) (dialectal)

• Polish: babcia (pl) f, babka (pl) f, babunia (pl) f (diminutive), baba (pl) f
• Portuguese: avó (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਨਾਨਿਮਾ f (nānimā)
• Quechua: jatun mama
• Romani: mami f
• Romanian: bunică (ro) f, mamaie (ro) f, mamă mare (ro) f
• Romansh: tatta f, tata f, nona f
• Russian: ба́бушка (ru) f (bábuška), бабу́ля (ru) f (babúlja) (endearing), бабу́ся (ru) f (babúsja) (endearing), ба́бка (ru) f (bábka) (can sound impolite), ба́ба (ru) f (bába)
• Sami:

  Northern Sami: áhkku

  Skolt Sami: äkk

• Sanskrit: (paternal) पितामही (sa) f (pitāmahī)
• Santali: ᱟᱡᱤ (aji)
• Scots: grandmither, guiddame
• Scottish Gaelic: seanmhair (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian: baka (sh) f

  Cyrillic: ба̏ба f, нена f, ста̏рама̄јка f

  Latin: bȁba (sh) f, nena (sh) f, stȁramājka (sh) f

• Shan: ၼၢႆး (shn) (náai)
• Sicilian: nanna (scn) f, mamma granni f
• Slovak: stará matka (sk) f, baba (sk) f
• Slovene: babica (sl) f, stara mama f
• Somali: ayeeyo (so)
• Sotho: nkgono
• Spanish: abuela (es) f
• Sundanese: nini (su)
• Swahili: bibi (sw)
• Swedish: farmor (sv) c (paternal), mormor (sv) c (maternal)
• Tagalog: lola (tl), impo, lelang, abwela
• Tajik: модаркалон (tg) (modarkalon), онакалон (onakalon), бибӣ (tg) (bibi), модарбузург (modarbuzurg)
• Tamil: பாட்டி (ta) (pāṭṭi), ஆயாள் (ta) (āyāḷ), மூதாய் (ta) (mūtāy), முன்றாய் (ta) (muṉṟāy)
• Tatar: әби (tt) (äbi), дәү әни (tt) (däw äni), зур әни (zur äni), картинәй (qärtinäy), нәнә (nänä), нәнәй (nänäy)
• Thai: ย่า (th) (yâa) (paternal), ยาย (th) (yaai) (maternal)
• Tibetan: རྨོ་མོ (rmo mo)
• Tok Pisin: tumbuna
• Tupinambá: aryîa
• Turkish: büyükanne (tr), nine (tr)
• Turkmen: ene, mama
• Ukrainian: бабу́ся (uk) f (babúsja), ба́ба (uk) f (bába)
• Urdu: دادی f (dādī) (paternal), نانی f (nānī) (maternal)
• Uzbek: acha (uz), buvi (uz)
• Vietnamese: bà (vi), bà ngoại (vi), bà nội (vi)
• Volapük: lemot (vo)
• Walloon: grand-mere (wa) f, grand-mame (wa) f
• Welsh: mam-gu (cy) f (South Wales), nain (cy) f (North Wales)
• Wiradjuri: baadhin
• Wolof: marm
• Xhosa: umakhulu
• Yagara: barbang
• Yakut: эбэ (ebe)
• Yámana: kuluna
• Yiddish: באָבע f (bobe)
• Yoruba: ìyá ìyá (maternal), màmá màmá (maternal), ìyá bàbá (paternal), màmá bàbá (paternal), ìyá àgbà (direct translation, not as common)
• Zazaki: dada, dapir, dapér, daye (diq)
• Zhuang: buz (paternal), naih (paternal), daiq (maternal)
• Zulu: ukhulu

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} ava (ia)
• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} maloong-goongò, ^{(please verify)} maling tra