Etymologically
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grand-mère

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡʁɑ̃.mɛʁ/[1]

Forms

grand-mère f (plural grands-mères or grand-mères)[1] Grandemere (1529); also grand'mère, and in tales mère-grand (Palsgrave, 1530).[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is from French grand + mère, with “grand” in the old sense “aged”.[2][4][5][6] The old form “grand” without “-e” continues the Old French adjective, which had one form for both genders (see grand); hence the older spelling grand'mère.[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The GLLF dates the word to Jean de Meun (about 1265), and Bloch and Wartburg place the kinship compounds in grand- from the 12th century; the TLFi's first dated example, grandemere, is from 1529.[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

Like grand-père, it gradually replaced aïeule.[2][6] The familiar sense “old woman” is in Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (before 1741).[3] The older mère-grand survives in fairy tales.[3][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1265 – First recorded, Jean de Meun.[3]
  • 1529 – Grandemere.[2]
  • 1530 – Mère-grand, Palsgrave.[3]
  • before 1741 – “Old woman”, Jean-Baptiste Rousseau.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. grandmother: the mother of one's father or mother, grand-mère maternelle.[5][1]
  2. (familiar) An old woman.[5][3]

Usage notes

The plural is grands-mères or grand-mères.[1][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France