greatgrandmother
The word 'great-grandmother' is a four-syllable compound noun with primary stress on 'great'. Syllabification follows standard English rules (VCE, VCC, syllabic /r/). It refers to the mother of one's grandparent.
Definitions
- 1
The mother of one's grandparent.
“My great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland.”
“She told us stories about her great-grandmother.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress on the first syllable ('great'), secondary stress on the second syllable ('grand').
Syllables
great — Open syllable, VCE pattern, primary stress.. grand — Closed syllable, VCC pattern, secondary stress.. moth — Closed syllable, VCC pattern, unstressed.. er — Syllabic consonant, unstressed.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant-e (VCE)
Applied to 'great' to explain the long vowel sound and syllable division.
Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (VCC)
Applied to 'grand' and 'moth' to explain the closed syllable structure.
Syllabic /r/
Applied to 'er' to explain the syllabic consonant.
- Glottal stop realization of /t/ in 'great' is common in British English.
- Compound nature influences stress.
- Regional pronunciation variations.
Nearby Words
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