Where does “great-grandaunt” come from?
great-grandaunt (English) comes from English grandaunt, 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-grandaunt (English): An aunt of one's grandparent (i.e. a sister or sister-in-law of one's great-grandparent)
Definitions
- An aunt of one's grandparent (i.e. a sister or sister-in-law of one's great-grandparent)
Ancestry of “great-grandaunt”, step by step
great-grandaunt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English grandaunt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grandaunt | Synonym of great-aunt; A sister of grandparent |
| 2 | English | aunt | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent; The... |
| 3 | Middle English | aunte | aunt |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | aunte | Late Anglo-Norman spelling of ante |
| 5 | Old French | ante | nominative singular of antain; aunt |
| 6 | Latin | amita | paternal aunt; father's sister |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | amma- | mother |
via English Great
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Great | Taking much space; large |
| 2 | Middle English | grete | great; massive; amazing |
| 3 | Old English | grēat | great, large; big, thick, coarse, massive |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | graut | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grautaz | coarse, crude; big, large |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |