The word "姥姥" (lǎolao) is formed through the linguistic process of reduplication, where the single character "姥" (lǎo), which historically means an elderly woman and specifically denotes a maternal grandmother, is repeated to create an affectionate and informal kinship term. This reduplicated form is standard in Northern Mandarin and serves to express familiarity and endearment, distinguishing it from the more formal "外祖母" (wàizǔmǔ). The structure follows a common pattern in Chinese where reduplication of nouns, particularly for family members, softens and personalizes the address.