godfather

Everyday

1. (church) A godfather is a man who promises at a child's baptism or christening to help bring the child up in the Christian faith and care for them. tree →
2. The founder or most important early person of something: the godfather of rock. tree →
3. (informal) The boss of a criminal gang, from the film «The Godfather». tree →

In the lessons

Church life (baptism, christening), family (Uncle Tom is my godfather), music and history (godfather of something), crime films.

Examples

• My godfather gave me a Bible when I was baptised. tree →
• Uncle Joe is my godfather and sends me birthday cards. tree →
• At the christening, the godfather held the baby. tree →
• He is called the godfather of punk music. tree →
• In the film, the godfather ran the gang. tree →
• Godparents promise to pray for the child. tree →
• The Russian merchant was his godfather, and the kitchen-maid his godmother. tree →

Note

Godfather and godmother together are godparents; the child is a godson or goddaughter. The gang-boss sense comes from films and is informal.