n.
Pronunciation: ' gäd- ˌ fä- th ə r also ' go ̇ d-
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1 : a man who sponsors a person at baptism
2 : one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: as a : one that founds, supports, or inspires <made him the godfather of a whole generation of rebels ― Times Lit. Supp. > b : the leader of an organized crime syndicate