Grand

How to spell grand

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce grand

What does grand mean?

1. adjectiveMagnificent, impressive, or large in scale and importance.
2. nounInformal term for a sum of one thousand pounds or dollars.

Grand in a sentence

• adjective

  The hotel lobby had a grand marble staircase.

• noun

  The second-hand car cost him five grand in cash.

• adjective

  They held a grand celebration to mark the company anniversary.

• noun

  She earned an extra grand from the weekend project.

Where does grand come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin grandis, which meant 'full-grown', 'large', or 'great', and was used of anything imposing in size or importance. It passed into Old French as 'grant' or 'grand', carrying the sense of large and noble, and English borrowed it during the medieval period, settling on the spelling 'grand'. In its earliest English uses it often described family relationships of an elevated degree, which is why we still say grandmother and grandfather, literally a 'great' parent. Over time the everyday sense of 'magnificent' or 'imposing' took hold, and by the twentieth century it had also become casual slang for a sum of a thousand pounds or dollars. The same Latin root survives in relatives such as grandeur and aggrandise, all sharing the idea of greatness.

How the word is built

• grand (from Latin grandis: full-grown, great, impressive)