grandfather: Meaning and Definition of

grand•fa•ther

Pronunciation: (gran'fä"ur, grand'-), [key]
— n.
  1. the father of one's father or mother.
  2. a forefather.
  3. the founder or originator of a family, species, type, etc.; the first of one's or its kind, or the one being longest in existence: the grandfather of all steam locomotives.
—v.t.
  1. to exempt (something or someone) from new legislation, restrictions, or requirements: The law grandfathered all banks already operating at the time of passage. He was grandfathered into the pension plan.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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