Godfather
nounA man who sponsors a child at baptism and takes an interest in the child's upbringing.
How to spell godfather
9 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce godfather
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does godfather mean?
- nounA man who sponsors a child at baptism and takes an interest in the child's upbringing.
- nounA man regarded as the founder or controlling head of an organisation, especially a criminal one.
Godfather in a sentence
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Her uncle agreed to be the baby's godfather at the christening.
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Prosecutors named him the godfather of the city's smuggling network.
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As godfather, he sent his goddaughter a card on every birthday.
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She is often called the godfather of modern jazz singing.
Where does godfather come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a native English compound, recorded in Old English as godfæder, joining 'god' with 'fæder' (father). It named the man who stood as a spiritual sponsor for a child at baptism, vouching for that child's religious upbringing before God; the 'god' part signals a relationship in faith rather than blood. The same pattern produced godmother, godparent, godchild, and godson, all built on the idea of a sacred rather than biological tie. The word stayed in continuous use through Middle English with the spelling settling into its modern shape, and the two halves remain perfectly transparent, which is why the trap is simply remembering it is written solid as one word. In the twentieth century it gained a famous figurative life as a term for the powerful head of a criminal family, popularised by Mario Puzo's novel and the films that followed.
How the word is built
- god (deity)
- father (male parent), a compound meaning a male sponsor before God
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