godfather · noun — 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.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
godfather is pronounced /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/.
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”).
noun
- 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.
- Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
- A mafia leader.
- A small post which is used in repairing a fence. For instance attached to and supporting an existing broken fence post.
verb
- To act as godfather or guardian to.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).