noun
Grand Empress Dowager
Historical title for the grandmother of the reigning emperor, or a former empress dowager. Used in imperial court contexts.
See also: 三后
太皇太后は、天皇の祖母にあたる女性に与えられる称号です。
Grand Empress Dowager is a title given to a woman who is the grandmother of the emperor.
三后 is a collective term for the three empress titles: 皇后 (empress), 皇太后 (empress dowager), and 太皇太后 (grand empress dowager).
From Chinese 太皇太后 (tàihuángtàihòu), composed of 太 (grand), 皇 (emperor), 太 (grand), and 后 (empress). The term was adopted into Japanese for the imperial court.