The parent of one's mother or father; a grandmother or grandfather.
The 'grand' in grandparent doesn't mean 'wonderful' as many assume, but comes from French 'grand' meaning 'great' or 'large' in the sense of generation distance. It literally means 'great parent' - one generation removed. The term emerged in English around 1300, when French influence was strong after the Norman Conquest. Before this, English speakers used terms like 'eldmother' and 'eldfather.'
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