Poppas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colloquial or affectionate term for grandfathers or elderly male relatives ; informal reference to a father or an older man often used within families ; a casual expression signifying respect or endearment toward an elder male figure
2. Used as a familiar name for a grandfather or older man ; denotes a term of endearment for paternal figures or older males ; a slang word indicating a male elder in a familial or social context
3. An informal nickname for an elderly man or grandfather ; a tender appellation for a senior male relative or father figure ; a friendly or loving term for a male ancestor or elder person

Etymology: "Poppas" is the plural of "poppa," an informal name for a grandfather, and the plural form is simply the regular "-s" added to that noun. The base word is an alteration of "papa," the familiar baby-talk term for father, which travelled into English from French, where it was the same child's word for a parent. Speakers changed the initial sound of "papa" to a "p" with a different vowel, a shift typical of nursery and family forms, which is how "poppa" came to name the grandfather rather than the father.

Synonyms: pops, dads, fathers, papas

Antonyms: moms, mothers