origin of the word grandparent

[kylejustin]

why are they called 'grandparents'? wikipedia says it was originally from the french: grand pere/mere. which makes sense, but why the word 'grand'? does it mean something?

[Olde Crone Holden]

Grand means large in French, so it is the "large" parent in the sense of being over the others.

OC

[kylejustin]

so its more a description of authority than some sort of title? that makes sense. as parents refer to their parents when raising children.

[Mary from Italy]

It doesn't say in my English dictionaries, but according to my French dictionary, the "grand" in grandmère and grandpère meant "aged".

That led me to wonder where the Italian nonna (grandmother) and nonno (grandfather) came from; apparently nonna comes from a late Latin word for "wet-nurse", and nonno means the wet-nurse's husband.

[Uncle John]

apparently nonna comes from a late Latin word for "wet-nurse", and nonno means the wet-nurse's husband.

Just so long as it doesn't mean a male wet-nurse!

[Olde Crone Holden]

Oh, Mary, I wish I'd known that before I invited my grandchildren to call me Nonna, lol!

OC

[Olde Crone Holden]

*When all else fails, look it up in the dictionary, lol*.

Grand = chief over others; of highest rank.

So this would go back to the days when the oldest male was the "ruler" of the family.

OC

[kylejustin]

makes so much more sense now!! haha cant believe something so simple took asking a question here to figure it out!

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Irish m-i-law always refers to her great aunts as grand aunts, putting them in line (generation wise) wth grandparents. Makes sense, as opposed to great aunts, a generation youger than great grandparents.

Jay

[Mary from Italy]

I think that's the US terminology too, which would explain why family tree programs always refer to great-grand-aunts and uncles.

[kylejustin]

thats how i would think of it mary and janet. it just makes sense grand aunts and uncles would be your grandparents siblings.

[keldon]

The OED has grandparent(s) only from the 19th century, but grandfather / mother, is way back in the 15th century and derived from the French.