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Noun: grandfather clause  'gran,faa-dhur kloz
Usage: N. Amer
  1. An exemption based on circumstances existing prior to the adoption of some policy; used to enfranchise illiterate whites in south after the American Civil War

Derived forms: grandfather clauses

Type of: exemption, freedom

Encyclopedia: Grandfather clause

Nearest

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grandaunt
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granddaughter
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grandkid
grandly