Etymologically
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grandson

Etymology and origin of the English word grandson

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1586
Ultimate origins
Anglo-Norman (graunt)Old English (sunu)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English grand
English grandson

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡɹæn(d)sʌn/[1]

Etymology

It is from English grand + son.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A son's or daughter's son: 1586 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1580s in Etymonline.[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

It was used of horses from 1881,[3] and grandson-in-law is from 1898.[3]

Timeline

  • 1586 – grandson.[3][4]
  • 1881 – of a horse.[3]
  • 1898 – grandson-in-law.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A son of one's son or daughter.

Word family

  • great-grandson

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Grandson.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/grandson. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·