Other forms: godchildren
A godchild is the child you promise at baptism to help guide through life. My godchild, three godchildren, a godchild's birthday.
The plural is godchildren, and goddaughter and godson are the specific forms. The promise is religious in origin and now mostly a lasting mark of friendship between the adults involved.
1noungodchildThe child you promise at baptism to help guide through life.
“She never forgets her godchild's birthday and always sends a thoughtful present.”
godchild is a child.
Also accepted in games: godson, goddaughter
God plus child, on the pattern of godfather and godmother.
Proto-Indo-European
*ǵelt- — womb
Proto-Germanic
*kelþaz — womb; fetus
Proto-West Germanic
*kilþ
Old English
ċild
Middle English
child
English
child
English, today
godchild
From god + child. child comes from Middle English child, from Old English ċild, from Proto-West Germanic kilþ, kelþ, from Proto-Germanic kelþaz (“womb; fetus”), from Proto-Indo-European ǵelt- (“womb”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European gel- (“to ball up, amass”). Cognate with Danish kuld (“brood, litter”), Swedish kull (“brood, litter”), Icelandic kelta, kjalta (“lap”), Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹 (“womb”), Sanskrit जर्त, जर्तु (“vulva”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA