grandfather

/ˈɡrænfɑːðə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡrænfɑːðər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər/ (ame, mw)

grandfather — 名詞

  • grandfathersingular
  • grandfathersplural

1. A man who is the parent of one of your parents — either your mother's father or

1.名詞A2
釋義

祖父；外祖父

父母親的父親

A man who is the parent of one of your parents — either your mother's father or your father's father.

例句

Every summer, Haruto visits his grandfather in the countryside and helps him tend the garden.

每年夏天，Haruto 都會去鄉下探望祖父，幫他照料花園。

collocation: visit + grandfather

The old photograph on the wall shows my grandfather shaking hands with the mayor.

牆上那張老照片裡，我的祖父正在和市長握手。

同義詞
  • granddad

    informal, used mainly within the family

  • grandpa

    affectionate and informal, common in direct address

  • gramps

    very informal, sometimes playful; avoid in formal writing

反義詞
  • grandmother

    the female equivalent, parent of one of your parents

用法筆記

In Chinese, a paternal grandfather is called 祖父 (zǔfù) and a maternal grandfather is called 外祖父 (wàizǔfù). English uses 'grandfather' for both, so when the distinction matters, add a phrase like 'my father's father' or 'my mother's father'.

常見錯誤

❌My grandfather's father is my grandfather.
✅My grandfather's father is my great-grandfather.
💡The prefix 'great-' indicates one more generation back. Great-grandfather means your grandparent's parent.

2. A person who was the first to do something important in a particular field, and

2.名詞B2
釋義

先驅；始祖

某領域最早的創始者

A person who was the first to do something important in a particular field, and is therefore seen as its creator or earliest major figure.

例句

Louis Armstrong is often called the grandfather of jazz music for his early innovations.

Louis Armstrong 因其早期創新常被稱為爵士音樂的先驅。

pattern: grandfather of [field]

Many historians consider Ibn Sina the grandfather of modern medicine.

許多歷史學家認為 Ibn Sina 是現代醫學的始祖。

pattern: consider + [person] + [the] grandfather of [field]

同義詞
  • pioneer

    broader term; a pioneer can be an early contributor without being the very first

  • founding father

    stronger emphasis on establishing an institution or field

  • originator

    focuses on being the first to create or conceive something

反義詞
  • follower

    someone who develops an existing field rather than starting it

  • successor

    the next important figure after the originator

文法句型

grandfather + of + [field/domain]

用法筆記

Always followed by 'of' plus a domain name (e.g., 'grandfather of jazz', 'grandfather of modern physics'). This is a reverential label for the single earliest major pioneer — it is not used for minor or later contributors.

常見錯誤

❌He is a grandfather of computing.
✅He is considered the grandfather of modern computing.
💡This sense always uses a definite article ('the'), not 'a', and is typically preceded by a verb like 'be called', 'be regarded as', or 'be considered'.

grandfather — 動詞