grandfathering

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹandfɑːðəɹɪŋ/

Etymology 1

See grandfather.

Verb

grandfathering

1. present participle and gerund of grandfather

Etymology 2

See grandfather.

Noun

grandfathering (usually uncountable, plural grandfatherings)

1. Exemption from new legislation or regulations.

   Hypernym: carveout

   • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 311:

     The grandfathering of boundaries has been, on average, a pacifying development […]

   • [2020 August 4, Azi Paybarah, “Massachusetts Court Won’t Use Term ‘Grandfathering,’ Citing Its Racist Origins”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     And on Monday, an appeals court in Massachusetts said that it would no longer use the term “grandfathering” because “it has racist origins.”]