Where does “Gevatter” come from?

Gevatter (German) comes from German vater, from Middle High German vater, from Old High German fater, from Proto-West Germanic fader, from Proto-Germanic fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.

Gevatter (German): godfather

Definitions

  1. godfather

Ancestry of “Gevatter”, step by step

Gevatter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German vater

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanvaterfather
2Middle High Germanvaterfather
3Old High Germanfaterfather
4Proto-West Germanicfaderfather
5Proto-Germanicfadērfather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

via Middle High German gevatere

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangevatere—
2Old High Germangifaterogodfather
3Proto-West Germanicgafaderjō—

Words derived from “Gevatter”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →
Gevatter — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer