great grandfather definition

Great-grandfather – the father of your grandmother or grandfather. The term refers to a male ancestor who belongs to an older generation of your family history.

Part of speech:
Noun (singular countable)
Phonetic transcription (IPA):
/ˈɡreɪtˌɡrændˌfɑðər/
CEFR level:
B1
Word frequency:

Pronunciation & Spoken Tips for Great-Grandfather

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This word consists of four syllables, and the main stress comes in GRAND: great-GRAND-fa-ther. The letter combination th in “father” represents a voiced dental fricative /ð/ that is identical in pronunciation to the same letter combination in “the” and “this”; therefore, make sure not to pronounce it as a d or f.

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Plural & Possessive Rules for Great-Grandfather

Family-related vocabulary becomes even more complicated when considering hyphens and possession. The term “great-grandfather,” for instance, obeys English grammar conventions in all respects except that students tend to omit the hyphen or make errors when using the apostrophe.

Form 

Example 

Singular: great-grandfather 
  Her great-grandfather was a sailor.

Plural: great-grandfathers 
  Both of his great-grandfathers served in army.

Singular possessive: great-grandfather’s 
  His great-grandfather’s journal was discovered in the attic.

Plural possessive: great-grandfathers’ 
  Both great-grandfathers’ names are on the family tree.

With article “a”: a great-grandfather 
  She never knew she had a great-grandfather in Argentina.

With possessive pronoun: my/your/her 
  My great-grandfather built this house with his own hands.
great grandfather in a sentence
Tip: 

Always keep the hyphens. “Great grandfather” (no hyphens) is a common error in learner writing. The correct written form is always hyphenated: “great-grandfather.” 

Real-Life Examples Across Different Contexts

Definitions in the abstract will not help you become fluent. It’s the sentence that does this. Look at these examples grouped according to their context and note how the word is modified slightly depending on the context – it’s more colloquial when used in family contexts and more formal when used historically. 

Family History & Personal Stories 

  My great-grandfather left Poland in 1921 with nothing but a suitcase and a trade skill, and that decision shaped everything that came after.
  When she finally opened the inheritance box, she found her great-grandfather’s pocket watch wrapped in a handwritten note.
  He only has one photograph of his great-grandfather, taken sometime in the 1930s, and the resemblance to his own father is striking.

Genealogy, Research & Writing 

  The census records confirmed that her great-grandfather had been listed as a carpenter in the 1911 survey of the county.
  Tracing a family tree back to your great-grandfather’s generation often requires cross-referencing church records, ship manifests, and local archives.
  The historian noted that the general’s great-grandfather had also served in the military, making it four generations of service.

Casual Conversation & Modern Life 

  My mom talks about her grandfather constantly, which makes him my great-grandfather, and I still can’t keep the generations straight.
  Apparently my great-grandfather was a brilliant chess player, which might explain why I’ve always been drawn to strategy games.
  She posted an old family photo online and it went viral because her great-grandfather, it turned out, appeared in a famous wartime photograph.

Common Mistakes with the “Great-grandfather” Word

These errors crop up frequently in essays written by students as well as in spoken English. While some of these errors are related to spelling, others are grammatical, so it is important to understand how to correct them in order to be fluent.

Incorrect  Correct 

Why?
  My great grandfather was a farmer.
  My great-grandfather was a farmer.

The hyphen is mandatory in written English. 
  Her great-grandfather are 90 years old.
  Her great-grandfather is 90 years old.

Singular noun always takes a singular verb. 
  I visited my great-grandfather house.
  I visited my great-grandfather’s house.

Possessive requires the apostrophe + s. 
  His grandgrandfather fought in WW2.
  His great-grandfather fought in WW2.

“Grandgrandfather” does not exist in English. Use “great-grandfather.” 

Great-Grandfather in Spanish, French, and German 

Having knowledge of the corresponding term in other languages brings out something fascinating: almost all languages make use of a word similar to “great” or “grand” to indicate another generation. When you recognize the pattern, memorizing the term becomes simpler.

Language Word for “Great-grandfather”
Flag Spanish Spanish   Bisabuelo
Flag French French   Arrière-grand-père 
Flag German German   Urgroßvater 
Tip: 

German uses “Ur-” as a generational prefix, the same root you see in the English word “primordial” (original, ancient). Think of your “great-grandfather” as the “first/original grandfather” and the German word clicks into place.