French word

grand-tante

Pronunciation

IPA/gʁɑ̃tɑ̃t/

Meaning

  • feminine noungreat-aunt

Example

J'ai une grand-tante qui habite à Lyon.

I have a great-aunt who lives in Lyon.

Illustration for grand-tante (great-aunt)

More examples

Je passe le week-end chez ma grand-tante.

I spend the weekend at my great-aunt's.

Core concept

A family-tree branch beside a grandparent, reaching to an aunt from the older generation.

Common phrases

  • ma grand-tante

    my great-aunt

  • chez ma grand-tante

    at my great-aunt's

  • la grand-tante maternelle

    maternal great-aunt

Similar words

tante: A parent's sister or a woman married to a parent's sibling.
grand-oncle: A man who is a grandparent's brother or married to a grandparent's sibling.

Definition in French

Tante d'une génération au-dessus des parents, c'est-à-dire la sœur ou la belle-sœur d'un grand-parent.

Word origin

Grand-tante is a French compound of grand, which marks an earlier generation in kinship terms, and tante, meaning aunt.

Usage tips

  • The fixed form is grand-tante, not grande-tante, although the noun is feminine and takes une.

Word lists with this word