grandmaternaladj.
/ɡran(d)məˈtəːnl/, U.S. /ˌɡræn(d)məˈtərnəl/ Now somewhat humorous.
Of, relating to, befitting, or resembling a grandmother; grandmotherly.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > grandparent > [adjective] > to a grandmother
grandmaternal1736
grandmotherly1764
1736 R. Brookes tr. J.-F. Gerbillon in tr. J.-B. Du Halde et al. Gen. Hist. China IV. 347 Kiou kieou maternal Uncle of the Emperor, and So san lao yé grand maternal Uncle [Fr. grand oncle maternel] of the Heir apparent.
1790 W. Combe Devil upon Two Sticks II. viii. 26 Maternal, or grand-maternal pleasures will not, I fear, compose any part of the happiness of her life.
1862 Sat. Rev. 8 Feb. 155 In spite of paternal protests and grandmaternal tears, the fatal miscalculation was expiated on the block.
1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians I. vii. 132 He named a grandmaternal date for the year of the baroness's birth.
1937 Financial Times 7 July 1/7 To our ears, this sounds fussy to the point of being grandmaternal.
1989 Ski Dec. 109/1 El, bustlingly grand-maternal, has stayed behind at the Comp Center to serve as base camp commander and chief baby trafficker.
2001 S. Fatsis Word Freak xiii. 199 Eileen gets maternal, or, more accurately, grand-maternal.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1736