gran

44 5.3

A woman who is the mother of your mother or father

noun
/ɡræn/

: abuelita

Every Sunday, I visit my gran for tea and stories about her childhood.
see gran
tell gran
gran said

They hadn't come forward to the police earlier because Jodie's Gran told them not to.

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Examples

- Come on, Gran, I'll help you upstairs.

This Happy Breed (1944)
I thought that I would also like to go along to Gran's place.

Academic text (2018)
Why do you think your why do you think your Gran was like she was?

Dodge Woodall
Ah, we were walking Gran here home, were we?

Eulogy (2020)
Hi, Gran, it 's me.

Undead (2003)
"I think I want to go see Gran now," I said.

Fiction book (1996)
Oh, I miss you too, Gran.

Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)
My gran won't be missing this.

Playing for Keeps (2012)
My family was on their way to Gran's place.

Academic text (2018)
I told you, Gran, I'd get him here by hook or by crook.

Hook (1991)

Synonyms

grandma

vsgran

Informal

∞ 1.0

A woman who is the mother of your father or mother

is a shorter informal family form often used in casual talk

grandmother

vsgran

∞ 1.0

A mother of one of your parents

is the informal family word used in everyday speech

granny

vsgran

Informal

174 1.0

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

is the informal family term specifically used for that relative

nana

vsgran

Informal

137 7.9

A friendly name used for your grandmother

is the informal family word many adults also use

Grammy

vsgran

Informal

41 2.9

A friendly name family members use for a grandmother

is the informal family word used by many speakers

nan

vsgran

Baby Talk

25 9.1

A child's word for grandmother used in Britain

is an informal family word used across some regions

grandmama

vsgran

Archaic

19 5.0

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

is a shorter informal family form preferred in speech

abuela

vsgran

15 9.1

A personal name used for a grandmother or a respected older woman

is the English informal family word used for that relative

abuelita

vsgran

Informal

11 9.3

A Spanish word for grandmother used lovingly by family members

is the informal English family word rather than a Spanish form

gramma

vsgran

Informal

7 7.2

A friendly name family members use for a grandmother

is another short informal family form with similar casual use

grandmom

vsgran

Informal

4 2.0

The mother of your mother or father

is a friendly informal family word used in conversation

grandmamma

vsgran

Archaic

3 8.1

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

is a modern informal family word used in daily life

grannie

vsgran

1 1.0

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

is an informal family word used by adults and children alike

grandam

vsgran

Archaic

1 9.9

An old-fashioned word for a grandmother

is the casual spoken family word rather than a literary form

Oma

vsgran

1 9.0

A grandmother in families with German or Dutch background

is the informal English family word familiar in many families

grandmammy

vsgran

Informal

1 8.7

An older woman who is the mother of your parent

is the general informal family word used more widely

grand-mère

vsgran

7.9

A grandmother who is called by the French word

is the simple informal family word used in everyday English

Surface Forms

gran singular

grans plural

Etymology

Gran is a friendly short form of grandmother. The grand part originally meant 'large' or 'great' and was used to mark the older generation, so gran is the simple, loving name for the 'mother of your parent'.