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goddaughter

goddaughter

10 4.7
A girl someone promises to care for at her baptism
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑːdˌdɔːtər/
: ahijada
  • I attended my goddaughter's baptism when she was just a few months old.
  • my goddaughter's birthday
  • nieces and goddaughters
  • old goddaughter

Ella, a goddaughter, wore the right shoes, a red Cape with a hood.

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Examples

Synonyms

godchild
vsgoddaughter
2 4.2

A child an adult promises to support and guide after baptism

is used specifically for a female child rather than for any gender

Surface Forms

goddaughter singular
goddaughters plural

Morphology

goddaughter = god + daughter (transparent) = god + daughter

The compound is a straightforward combination of 'god' + 'daughter' meaning a daughter in relation to a godparent; learners who know the components will readily infer the sense.

Etymology

Goddaughter comes from the simple parts god and daughter, where god here means a religious or 'spiritual' link, the same idea you see in godparent. So a goddaughter is a 'spiritual daughter' someone promises to care for at her baptism.