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grandfather

 - 3 dictionary results

grand⋅fa⋅ther

  [gran-fah-ther, grand-]
Use grandfather in a Sentence
–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 ME; see grand-, father
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To grandfather
grand·fa·ther   (grānd'fä'thər, grān'-)   
n.  

  1. The father of one's mother or father.

  2. A forefather; an ancestor.

tr.v.   grand·fa·thered, grand·fa·ther·ing, grand·fa·thers
To exempt (one involved in an activity or business) from new regulations: The new ordinance restricts the size of billboards, but it grandfathers those erected before 1997.

[V., from grandfather clause.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: grand·fa·ther
Function: transitive verb
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause grandfathered under the regulation> —often used with in
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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