godmother
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English
Etymology
From Middle English godmoder, from Old English godmōdor (“godmother”), equivalent to god- + mother. Cognate with Old High German gotmuoter (“godmother”), Old Norse guðmóðir (“godmother”), Icelandic guðmóður (“godmother”), Swedish gudmoder (“godmother”), Danish gudmor (“godmother”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡɒdmʌðə/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Hyphenation: god‧mother
Noun
godmother (plural godmothers)
- A woman present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a female godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
woman present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner
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Verb
godmother (third-person singular simple present godmothers, present participle godmothering, simple past and past participle godmothered)
- (transitive) To act as godmother to.
- 1909, H. G. Wells, Tono-Bungay:
- The servants took to her – as they say – she godmothered three Susans during her rule, the coachman's, the gardener's and the Up Hill gamekeeper's.
References
Middle English
Noun
godmother
- (Late Middle English) Alternative form of godmoder
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms prefixed with god-
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- en:Female family members
- en:Christianity
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Late Middle English