grandmother

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

grandmother

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 Superseded earlier eldmother, eldermother.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)

A mother of someone's parent.
A female ancestor or progenitor.

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

Derived terms

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)
Ainu: フチ (huci)
Albanian: gjyshe (sq) f
Alemannic German: Grosi f
Aleut: kukax
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)

South Levantine Arabic: جدة (jidde), ست (sitt), تيتة f (tēta)
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 (nanu) (informal, maternal), দাদি (bn) (dadi) (paternal), দাদু (bn) (dadu) (informal, paternal)
Bhojpuri: दादी के बा (dādī kē bā), दादी (dādī)
Bikol Central: 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
Central Dusun: todu
Central Sierra Miwok: ʔamáˑ-
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)
Corsican: mammone
Crimean Tatar: qartana
Czech: babička (cs) f
Danish: bedstemor (da) c, bedste c (informal)
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
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)
Silesian: Grußmutter f, Gruußmutter f
Greek: γιαγιά (el) f (giagiá), μάμμη (el) f (mámmi)
Ancient: μάμμη f (mámmē), τήθη f (tḗthē)
Greenlandic: aanaq, aanaa
Guaraní: jarýi (gn)
Halkomelem: sísele
Hausa: kaka
Hawaiian: kupunawahine
Hebrew: סָבָה (he) f (savá), סָבְתָא (he) f (sávta)
Hindi: दादी (hi) f (dādī) (paternal), नानी (hi) f (nānī) (maternal)
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 (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)
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
Lutshootseed: 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)
Maori: 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
Mòcheno: nu'na f
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: эмээ (mn) (emee), эмэг эх (emeg ex), эмэг ээж (emeg eež), эмгээ (mn) (emgee)

Mongolian: ᠡᠮᠡᠭᠡ (emege)
Navajo: amá sání (maternal), análí (paternal)
Neapolitan: nonna f
Nepali: हजुरआमा (hajuraāmā)
Ngazidja Comorian: koko class 5/6
Nivkh: ытик (əțik)
Norman: grand'-mère m (Guernsey), manman f (Jersey), grand-méthe f (Jersey)
North Frisian:
Föhr: ualmam f

Hallig: aol f

Mooring: ååle f
Northern Ohlone: ká̄na 'ek mél̄e
Northern Sami: áhkku
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)
O'odham: hu'ul (maternal), ka꞉k (paternal)
Odia: ଜେଜେମାଆ (jejemāā), ଆଈ (āi)
Ojibwe: (my grandmother) nookomis
Old English: eald mōdor f
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 (fa) (nana), مَادَرْبُزُرْگ (fa) (mādarbuzurg)

Iranian Persian: مادَرْبُزُرْگ (fa) (mâdarbozorg), نَنِه (fa) (nane) (dialectal)
Polish: babcia (pl) f, babka (pl) f, babunia (pl) f (diminutive), baba (pl) f
Pontic Greek: καλομάνα f (kalomána)
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
Romansch: 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)
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

Roman: bȁba (sh) f, nena (sh) f, stȁramājka (sh) f
Shan: ၼၢႆး (shn) (náai)
Sicilian: nanna (scn) f, mamma granni f
Skolt Sami: äkk
Slovak: stará matka (sk) f, baba (sk) f
Slovene: babica (sl) f, stara mama f
Somali: ayeeyo (so)
Sotho: nkgono
Southern Altai: таай эне (taay ene)
Spanish: abuela (es) f
Sundanese: nini (su)
Swabian: Ahna f
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)
Tatar: әби (tt) (äbi), дәү әни (tt) (däw äni), зур әни (zur äni), картинәй (qartinäy), 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), 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)
West Frisian: beppe (fy) f
White Hmong: pog, niam tais
Wiradjuri: baadhin
Wolof: marm
Xhosa: umakhulu
Yagara: barbang
Yakut: эбэ (ebe)
Yámana: kuluna
Yiddish: באָבע f (bobe)
Yoruba: iya agba
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)