Grandchild
nounThe child of one's son or daughter.
How to spell grandchild
10 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce grandchild
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does grandchild mean?
- nounThe child of one's son or daughter.
Grandchild in a sentence
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Every weekend she babysits her youngest grandchild.
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He opened a savings account for each grandchild.
Where does grandchild come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a compound built from two native English elements. The element 'grand' comes from Old French 'grant' (great or large), itself from Latin 'grandis' meaning 'full-grown' or 'great', and in English kinship terms it was borrowed to mark a generation removed, the same way it works in 'grandfather' and 'grandmother'. The second element, 'child', is thoroughly Germanic, from Old English 'cild', which originally meant a young person or offspring. The two were joined in the seventeenth century to name the child of one's own son or daughter, replacing older native phrasings. The plural follows the irregular pattern of 'child', giving 'grandchildren', which is the spot where writers most often hesitate.
How the word is built
- grand- (a generation removed)
- child (offspring)
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