Barnbarnið

Barnbarnið is the definite form of the Icelandic noun barnbarn, which designates the grandchild—the child of one’s own child. The term is neuter; the indefinite form is barnbarn and the definite singular form is barnbarnið. It is commonly used in family contexts and in genealogical explanations to refer to a specific grandchild.

Etymology: Barnbarnið is a compound built from barn meaning “child” and a second use of barn in the sense of a descendant, forming a word for the child of one’s child. The concept is attested in Old Norse and is cognate with similar terms in other Scandinavian languages: Danish barnebarn, Norwegian barnebarn, and Swedish barnbarn. The definite form barnbarnið adds the standard neuter definite suffix -ið.

Usage: In everyday Icelandic, barnbarnið denotes a particular grandchild; when referring to grandchildren in general, Icelandic uses barnabörn. Example sentences include: "Hún heimsótti barnbarnið í gær." (She visited the grandchild yesterday.) and "Barnbarnið er í skóla." (The grandchild is at school.) The term is commonly encountered in family discourse, biographies, and discussions of descendants.