Definitions by alvmpa

Grètil

Any one of the other grandparents of your grandchild. The parents of your son- or daughter-in-law. In a sense, a grètil is the inverse of a cousin: your cousin is a member of another family who shares your grandparent; whereas a grètil is a member of another family who shares your grandchild.

Etymology: As the word cousin is a French contraction of a phrase meaning “mother’s sister’s child”, grètil is a contraction of the French phrase “grand-mère de la petite-fille”, meaning “grandmother of the granddaughter”. (And it forms equally well from the corresponding grandfather and grandson phrases.)

Bonus: if you don’t care for your grètils, you can refer to them as “regrètils”.

We had our grètils over for Christmas dinner; the four of us are almost never together, and the grandkids were delighted.

Grètil by alvmpa February 19, 2026

Grètil

Any one of the other grandparents of your grandchild. The parents of your son- or daughter-in-law. In a sense, a grètil is the inverse of a cousin: your cousin is a member of another family who shares your grandparent; whereas a grètil is a member of another family who shares your grandchild.

Etymology: As the word cousin is a French contraction of a phrase meaning “mother’s sister’s child”, grètil is a contraction of the French phrase “grand-mère de la petite-fille”, meaning “grandmother of the granddaughter”. (And it forms equally well from the corresponding grandfather and grandson phrases.)

Bonus: if you don’t care for your grètils, you can refer to them as “regrètils”.

We had our grètils over for Christmas dinner; the four of us are almost never together, and the grandkids were delighted.

Grètil by alvmpa February 18, 2026