Grandames

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Elderly women who possess wisdom and authority ; female ancestors from previous generations ; matriarchs who hold respected positions within families or societies
2. Women of advanced age revered for their knowledge ; forebears on the maternal side ; dignified matriarchs who are respected leaders in kinship circles
3. Aged female elders recognized for experience and stature ; ancestral women from earlier family generations ; respected matronly figures serving as heads of family or social groups

Etymology: "Grandames" is the plural of "grandame", a word built from two French elements that English borrowed. The first part, "grand", means "great" or "large," and the second, "dame," comes from Latin "domina," meaning "lady" or "mistress of a house." Put together, a grandame is literally a great lady, and the word came to mean a grandmother or an older female ancestor. Because the word is simply a plural, its history is the same as that of its singular. The sense has since widened from a literal grandmother to any revered elder woman who stands at the head of a family or community, which is why the plural is often used for a group of respected matriarchs.

Synonyms: grandmothers, grannies, grandmas, nanas