godfather

Pluralgodfathers

Formsgodfathers, godfathering, godfathered

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A man who sponsors a child at baptism, promising to help raise the child in the Christian faith.

   At the christening, her godfather pledged to support her Christian upbringing.

   He served as godfather to all three of his sister's children.

   Similarsponsor, godparent

   Oppositegodmother

   Note

   The original layer of the word, the one the others borrow from. Old English godfæder simply joins god- to father, and close relatives run through the Germanic languages: Danish gudfar, Swedish gudfader, Icelandic guðfaðir. In use, the relationship is marked with to (godfather to a child, godfather to all three). The broader term godparent covers a sponsor of either sex.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   The boss who leads a mafia family, holding authority over its members and criminal operations.

   The godfather settled disputes between rival families without ever raising his voice.

   After years of investigation, agents brought down the city's most powerful godfather.

   Similardon, boss, kingpin, capo

   Note

   Organized crime borrows the vocabulary of kinship. A mafia group is a family, and its head takes the name of a protector. Because the founding-figure meaning uses the same phrase, context has to do the work. A godfather of punk is a pioneer, while a city's most powerful godfather runs its criminal operations. When the reading could be ambiguous, it is wise to make it clear.

3. 3
   nounfigurativelycountable

   A person regarded as the founder or driving force behind a movement, genre, or field.

   Critics hailed him as the godfather of the entire punk movement.

   Many regard her as the godfather of computer animation.

   Similarfather, founder, pioneer, originator

   Note

   A title that others bestow rather than one a person claims. People are touted as, known as or hailed as the godfather of a field, almost always with the and of. Headlines lean on it: Geoffrey Hinton as the godfather of AI, James Hansen as the godfather of climate science. The image comes from the baptismal sponsor, someone who stood over a beginning and saw it through.

4. 4
   verbfigurativelytransitive

   To take on the role of guardian or sponsor for someone or something, guiding its growth.

   A senior professor offered to godfather the fledgling research group.

   He godfathered several young artists who later became famous.

   Similarmentor, sponsor, nurture, champion, shepherd

   Note

   A transitive verb that takes its object directly, with no to: you godfather a project, a group or an event. It is used more often of ventures than of children. Robert Evans plays on the echo in The Kid Stays in the Picture (2006), where he'd agreed to godfather the premiere of The Godfather. The forms are regular: godfathered, godfathering.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   A short post attached alongside a broken or failing fence post to brace and support it.

   Rather than replace the rotten post, he bolted a godfather beside it.

   The repaired fence held firm once a godfather was driven in.

   Similarbrace

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