Skip to main content
gramma

gramma

7 7.2
A friendly name family members use for a grandmother
  • noun
  • /ˈɡræmə/
  • Informal
: abuelita
  • After that, I'd heard about her only through Gramma's tales.
  • Gramma and Grampa
  • Gramma says
  • Gramma told

Examples

  • Gramma loves to tell stories from her childhood.

  • When I call on the phone and he says, "It's Gramma!" my day is made.

    Blog text (21)
  • And this is our dear sweet Gramma... who we all just love to death.

  • Where Gramma showed me who we are.

  • "All I want for Christmas is to give my gramma a kiss," he says.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I gotta go get Gramma.

  • Gramma passed away last night.

  • Shortly, Gramma went off to the kitchen to "see about some lunch," she'd said.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His job, Gramma said, was to trick me into a nap.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And Donnie always said, "I want to stay right here with you, Gramma."

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

grandma
vsgramma
  • Informal
∞ 1.0

A woman who is the mother of your father or mother

is similar but tends to be more explicitly affectionate in tone
grandmother
vsgramma
∞ 1.0

A mother of one of your parents

is more informal and affectionate than this plain family term
grandparent
vsgramma
317 1.0

A parent of your mother or father

is narrower, naming specifically the female parent of your parent
granny
vsgramma
  • Informal
174 1.0

An older woman who is your grandmother or a friendly older family member

is focused specifically on the affectionate family title rather than age alone
nana
vsgramma
  • Informal
137 7.9

A friendly name used for your grandmother

is the same affectionate informal name without a specific regional tag
gran
vsgramma
  • UK
44 5.3

A woman who is the mother of your mother or father

is the same informal affectionate name used more broadly
Grammy
vsgramma
  • Informal
41 2.9

A friendly name family members use for a grandmother

is the general informal affectionate title for that same family role
nan
vsgramma
  • Baby Talk
25 9.1

A child's word for grandmother used in Britain

is the same informal affectionate name not tied to British use
grandmama
vsgramma
  • Archaic
19 5.0

A loving old-fashioned word for the mother of your parent

is the same affectionate name but more neutral in style
grandmom
vsgramma
  • Informal
4 2.0

The mother of your mother or father

is the same informal affectionate name used broadly in speech
grandmamma
vsgramma
  • Archaic
3 8.1

An old-fashioned, loving name for a child's grandmother

is the common informal affectionate term without the old-fashioned tone
grannie
vsgramma
  • UK
1 1.0

An older woman who is the mother of one of your parents

is the general affectionate informal name without the playful nuance
grandam
vsgramma
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old-fashioned word for a grandmother

is the modern informal affectionate family name rather than literary usage
Oma
vsgramma
  • UK
1 9.0

A grandmother in families with German or Dutch background

is the standard informal affectionate family name across other backgrounds
abuelita
vsgramma
  • Informal
1 9.7

A loving name for an older woman used like a grandmother

is the affectionate informal family name used specifically for the parent of your parent
grandmammy
vsgramma
  • Informal
1 8.7

An older woman who is the mother of your parent

is the same informal affectionate family name used in general speech
bibi
vsgramma
  • Indian
1 9.5

An affectionate word for grandmother used in some South Asian families

is the more general informal affectionate name not limited by heritage
bubby
vsgramma
  • Informal
1 9.9

A warm name for a grandmother in Jewish families

is the general affectionate informal name without that cultural marker
nonnie
vsgramma
  • Baby Talk
1 9.2

A loving name family members use for a grandmother

is the same affectionate informal name but used more generally
grand-mère
vsgramma
7.9

A grandmother who is called by the French word

is the English informal affectionate family name rather than a foreign form

How Affectionate

nana
  • Informal
137 7.9
gramma
  • Informal
7 7.2
grandma
  • Informal
∞ 1.0
grandmother
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

gramma singular
grammas plural

Etymology

Gramma as a family word is a friendly short form of grandma, which comes from grandmother, made of 'grand' and 'mother', so gramma is used as a soft, loving name for a grandmother.