English Explanatory Dictionary

godfather

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a male godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.
  2. Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
  3. A mafia leader.
  4. A small post which is used in repairing a fence. For instance attached to and supporting an existing broken fence post.
verb
  1. To act as godfather or guardian to.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/ /ˈɡɒdfɑːðə/ en-us-godfather.ogg

Word forms

godfather godfathers godfathering godfathered

Etymology

From Middle English godfader, from Old English godfæder (“godfather”), equivalent to god- + father. Cognate with Old Saxon godfadar (“godfather”), Middle Dutch godvader (“godfather”), Danish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Swedish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Icelandic guðfaðir (“godfather”).

Synonyms

godpa

Related words

godchild goddaughter godmother godparent godsib godson

Derived words

fairy godfather godfatherhood godfatherism godfatherless godfatherlike godfatherly godfathership twelve godfathers
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