grand·fa·ther

[gran-fah-ther, grand-]
noun
1.
the father of one's father or mother.
2.
a forefather.
3.
the founder or originator of a family, species, type, etc.; the first of one's or its kind, or the one being longest in existence: the grandfather of all steam locomotives.
verb (used with object)
4.
to exempt (something or someone) from new legislation, restrictions, or requirements: The law grandfathered all banks already operating at the time of passage. He was grandfathered into the pension plan.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English; see grand-, father

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To grandfather
00:10
Grandfather is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
Collins
World English Dictionary
grandfather (ˈɡrænˌfɑːðə, ˈɡrænd-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the father of one's father or mother
2.  (often plural) a male ancestor
3.  (often capital) a familiar term of address for an old man
4.  dialect a caterpillar or woodlouse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

grandfather
early 15c., from grand + father. Replaced O.E. ealdefæder. The use of grand- in compounds, with the sense of "a generation older than, or younger than," is first attested early 13c., in Anglo-Fr. graund dame "grandmother." Latin and Greek
had similar usages. Grandmother also first attested early 15c., from M.Fr.; grandchild, grandson are later (16c.). The verb grandfather is from 1900. Grandfather clock is c.1880, from the popular song; they were previously known as tall case clocks or eight-day clocks.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
My grandfather suffered a stroke, after which the doctors gave him only a
  couple months to live.
Then he remembered his grandfather's story, so he threw his own hat to the
  ground.
Any grandfather wants his grandchildren to experience what is with strong
  determination still possible in this great land.
My grandfather kept pretty quiet about his past life.
Image for grandfather
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