grandmother

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary

n. a woman from your family who lived a long time ago.

n. a female ancestor or progenitor within a lineage.

“She wanted to learn more about her grandmothers who lived in the village centuries ago.”

“The historian traced the lineage back to a common grandmother who had settled in the valley during the early colonial period.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Religion Technical

n. a respectful name for a powerful plant medicine used in some South American cultures.

n. a reverential name for the ayahuasca vine or brew in Amazonian shamanism, personified as a wise guiding spirit.

“The shaman spoke of the grandmother as a teacher who shows people the truth.”

“In traditional ceremonies, practitioners often refer to the brew as the grandmother, reflecting a deep spiritual relationship with the plant's perceived consciousness.”