Where does “godmother” come from?
Godmother comes from Middle English godmoder, from Old English godmōdor, a compound of god and mōdor meaning mother.
godmother (English): A woman present at the christening of a baby who...
Definitions
- A woman present at the christening of a baby who...
Ancestry of “godmother”, step by step
godmother traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English mother
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mother | A female who has given birth to a baby; A human... |
| 2 | Middle English | modren | plural of moder |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English God
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | God | A being such as a monotheistic God: a single... |
| 2 | Middle English | god | A god or deity; a divine individual; A person... |
| 3 | Old English | gōd | a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gōd | good |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gudą | invoked one; god, deity |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gastiz | stranger, guest |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰóstis | stranger, host |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |