godparent

Etymology

It is formed from English god + parent,^[2][3][4] after godson, god-daughter and godchild,^[2] or after godfather and godmother.^[5] The OED compares those two earlier nouns and gossip.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sponsor at baptism: 1693, “our Nominal God-Parents”, in Grounds Infant-baptism Explained.^[2] The June 2014 revision of the OED and Merriam-Webster Unabridged give this date;^[2][6] other dictionaries are much later: Etymonline has it by 1825,^[3] the Shorter Oxford from the mid 19th century,^[5] Dictionary.com from 1860–65,^[4] and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate from 1865.^[7]

Semantic evolution

English first had separate words, godfather, godmother and gossip,^[2] and godparent supplied a term for either sponsor, at baptism or at confirmation; it is also used figuratively.^[2] The Shorter Oxford describes a person who, in various Christian churches, traditionally takes responsibility for the Christian upbringing of someone being baptized, and makes the promises on a child's behalf.^[5] Black's Law Dictionary treats it as a term of ecclesiastical law, and notes a frequent understanding that the godparent would help support and rear the child if the parents die.^[8]

Timeline

• 1693 – a sponsor at baptism or confirmation.^[2][6] Etymonline records it by 1825.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who acts as sponsor for another at baptism or confirmation; a godfather or godmother: Their closest friends agreed to be the baby's godparents.^[9][6][2][5]
2. (figurative) A person who stands in such a relation to someone or something.^[2]

Related words

• god
• parent
• godfather
• godmother
• godson
• goddaughter
• godchild
• gossip

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins