Where does “grandma'am” come from?
grandma'am (English) comes from English ma’am, from English madam, from Middle English madame, from Old French madame, from Old French dame, from Late Latin domna, from Latin domina, from Latin Dominus — to build; to arrange, to put together.
grandma'am (English): The mother of one’s own mother
Definitions
- The mother of one’s own mother
Ancestry of “grandma'am”, step by step
grandma'am traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ma’am
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ma’am | A polite and formal way to address a woman |
| 2 | English | madam | "Mrs Grey wondered if the outfit she was trying... |
| 3 | Middle English | madame | madam polite term of address or (less often) title for a noble lady |
| 4 | Old French | madame | — |
| 5 | Old French | dame | lady; woman |
| 6 | Late Latin | domna | lady, mistress |
| 7 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 8 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 9 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |
via English grand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grand | Of a large size or extent; great; Great in size,... |
| 2 | Middle English | grand | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | graunt | Late Anglo-Norman spelling of grant |
| 4 | Old French | grant | big, large |
| 5 | Old French | -ur | -er, used for form agent nouns |
| 6 | Latin | -or | used to form a third-declension masculine... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -ōs | Creates masculine action nouns or result nouns... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōs | Creates masculine and feminine action nouns or... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -oss | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |