eldmother
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English eldmoder, from Old English ealdmōdor (“grandmother”), equivalent to eld (“old”) + mother. Cognate with Scots eldmoder, eldmother (“mother-in-law”), Old Frisian aldmōder, aldemōder (“grandmother”).
Noun
eldmother (plural eldmothers)
- (dialectal, now archaic) One's grandmother or other female ancestor, or one's mother-in-law.
- 1571 November 5, John Heworth of Gatisheid, Will, in Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham (1835):
- Item I gyve vnto my eldmother his wyffe my wyffes froke and a read petticote and a smoke.
- 1586 July 15, Isabel Chamber against John Robson in Causa Defamationis, in Depositions and Other Ecclesiastical Proceedings from the Courts ... of Durham (1845):
- John Morpeth [...] saith that, on Sondaie last [...] the said John Robson said to the said Arthure, "Thou haiest a witch to thy eldmother[.]"
- 1571 November 5, John Heworth of Gatisheid, Will, in Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham (1835):
See also
References
- Language in Scotland: Corpus-based Studies (2013, →ISBN, page 159: Eldmother 'grandmother' has a similar range of dates, with no citations for 'mother-in-law' but a meaning of 'step-mother' surviving in Scots and northern English use until 1864.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.