Where does “great-aunt” come from?

great-aunt (English) comes from English aunt, from Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita, from Proto-Indo-European amma- — mother.

great-aunt (English): An aunt of one's parent

Definitions

  1. An aunt of one's parent

Ancestry of “great-aunt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishauntThe sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent; The...
2Middle Englishaunteaunt
3Anglo-NormanaunteLate Anglo-Norman spelling of ante
4Old Frenchantenominative singular of antain; aunt
5Latinamitapaternal aunt; father's sister
6Proto-Indo-Europeanamma-mother
Every word from Proto-Indo-European amma- →Every word from Latin amita →Every word from Old French ante →