# Fraternal grandmother, or Paternal grandmother? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2013, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358 "2013-12-03T08:54:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/21 "2013-12-03T16:38:28Z")
It’s paternal, but feel free to sit down. Fraternal is brotherly. Anyone using the term “fraternal grandparents” is either covering a very unusual special case, or is making a mistake. Evidently it’s a common mistake. If a mistake becomes common enough, it gets documented in dictionaries, and people assume that means it’s correct. Eventually, all words will be synonyms. Won’t life be simpler then? We’ll never say the wrong thing. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/22 "2013-12-03T16:39:31Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > They might, if it was the whole fraternity that they need tested.😃 ::d&r:: snerk snerk ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/23 "2013-12-03T16:59:45Z")
Just out of curiosity, I ran a Google Fight and got: paternal grandfather - 568,000, fraternal grandfather - 29,000. So like everyone suspected, it’s wrong, but it’s pretty common. They also sound similar enough to mis-hear. I ran across something similar with the non-word: [centrifical](http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cen1.htm). ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/24 "2013-12-03T18:23:53Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > They might, if it was the whole fraternity that they need tested.😃 I saw that movie. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/25 "2013-12-03T18:26:38Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > Eventually, all words will be synonyms. Malkovich malkovich. Malkovich? Malkovich!! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/26 "2013-12-03T19:18:24Z")
The only reasonable use I can come up with is if it was the grandparent of your (step)-sibling “on the other side”. But in that case I would have referred to “my sibling’s [side-appropriate] grandparent”, and I hope the coding makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/27 "2013-12-03T19:35:27Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The only meaning of “Fraternal” which fits is “lecherous” if you allow “fraternizing” to be reduced back to the adjective. Sister rapers. Brother stabbers. Brother rapers! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/28 "2013-12-03T19:38:25Z")
You said rape twice. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/29 "2013-12-03T20:21:32Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > Eventually, all words will be synonyms. Won’t life be simpler then? We’ll never say the wrong thing. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Malkovich malkovich. Malkovich? Malkovich!! Hodor. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/30 "2013-12-03T21:12:10Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > After all, in everyday language, we don’t say that college students join “paternity houses”. It would probably be difficult to get sorority girls to come to your parties. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/31 "2013-12-03T21:13:05Z")
Just throwing this out: A fraternal grandparent could be your adopted sib’s biological grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/32 "2013-12-03T21:25:09Z")
That’s true. I learned something today. 😉 QUOTE=WhyNot;16897410]I don’t think people should be too hard on you. It does make a small amount of sense, in that fraternal has something to do with male, and words mean what we hear people around us using them to mean. You’re certainly not the only one who’s ever made that error. But now you know. As the cliché goes, you’ve learned something today; must be a good day. 🙂 [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/33 "2013-12-03T21:25:42Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Sister rapers. Brother stabbers. Brother rapers! Were you on the Group W bench? “What’d ya get, Kid?” “I didn’t get nothin’. I had to pay $25 and pick up all the garbage.” ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/34 "2013-12-03T21:39:44Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The only meaning of “Fraternal” which fits is “lecherous” if you allow “fraternizing” to be reduced back to the adjective. Er, no, “fraternal” means _brotherly_ (in its literal and metaphorical senses), and not anything mean remotely related to “lecherous”. If it did, it would be alluding to lust for your brother, which is sick! “Fraternizing” does not mean anything to do with sex or lechery either. It means _hanging out (with)_, and _being friendly_ (like with a brother). Sometimes fraternizing with people of you r sex of attraction does lead to sex, which is one reason why it is discouraged in certain circumstances, but fraternizing itself has nothing to do with sex or lust. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/35 "2013-12-03T21:51:26Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > “Fraternizing” does not mean anything to do with sex or lechery either. It means _hanging out (with)_, and _being friendly_ (like with a brother). Sometimes fraternizing with people of you r sex of attraction does lead to sex, which is one reason why it is discouraged in certain circumstances, but fraternizing itself has nothing to do with sex or lust. FWIW, there are businesses that use “fraternization” between managers and non-managers as a euphemism for sex. It was in the code of conduct at the bank I used to work at, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/36 "2013-12-03T22:04:38Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > …and–the final climactic final lines are > Quote: > 'Cause now I have become the strangest 'case you ever saw > As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa Which might well have eventually happened to Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, when his child bride’s mother got romantically involved with his (Wyman’s) adult son. IF I’m remembering correctly. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/37 "2013-12-03T22:07:17Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > It’s paternal, but feel free to sit down. > > Fraternal is brotherly. Anyone using the term “fraternal grandparents” is either covering a very unusual special case, or is making a mistake. Evidently it’s a common mistake. > > If a mistake becomes common enough, it gets documented in dictionaries, and people assume that means it’s correct. Eventually, all words will be synonyms. Won’t life be simpler then? We’ll never say the wrong thing. Most defiantly. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358/38 "2013-12-03T22:07:47Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > It would probably be difficult to get sorority girls to come to your parties. Except for the ones from the maternity houses. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > FWIW, there are businesses that use “fraternization” between managers and non-managers as a euphemism for sex. It was in the code of conduct at the bank I used to work at, IIRC. Franternizing (AFAIK) usually means “getting familiar with”, not in the family way, so to speak, but socializing and becoming friends. Fraternizing with the troops (or the locals) is frowned upon because familiarity destroys the effectiveness - less likely to give difficult orders or follow them, etc. I assume the bank used the term so they did not have to prove actual penentration to fire the couple (or, based on logic from decades ago, the woman). Dating was sufficient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraternal-grandmother-or-paternal-grandmother/675358.md?page=1)