godson

IPA/ˈɡɒdsʌn/
IPA/ˈɡɑːdsʌn/

godson — noun

  • godsonsingular
  • godsonsplural

1. a boy or man whose religious upbringing is formally promised by a godparent duri

1.nounB1
Definition

a boy or man whose religious upbringing is formally promised by a godparent during a Christian baptism ceremony

Example

Wei takes his godson Kofi to the library every Saturday to borrow adventure stories.

possessive determiner + godson (relationship tie)

At the baptism ceremony, Amara held her newborn godson gently while the priest said a prayer over them.

baptism context — where the relationship begins

Common collocations
  • my/his/her/their godson
  • newborn godson
  • godson of [someone]
  • baptise one's godson
  • act as godson to [someone]
Synonyms
  • godchild

    gender-neutral term that includes both godson and goddaughter

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

godson + of + [person]

Usage Note

The relationship is reciprocal — if X is someone's godfather or godmother, then that person is X's godson or goddaughter.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'godchild' can refer to either a male or a female person whose spiritual upbringing has been pledged by a godparent, 'godson' specifies the male side of that relationship. 'Goddaughter' is the matching female term. If you want a general reference without specifying gender, use 'godchild'; if you need to be precise about the person's sex, choose 'godson' or 'goddaughter'. For example: 'Maria has two godchildren — a godson named Elias and a goddaughter named Lucia.'

godchildgoddaughter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • act as godson to
  • be someone's godson

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Godson comes from Old English 'godsunu', a compound of 'god' (the Christian deity) and 'sunu' (son). It literally means 'spiritual son' — a child adopted into a religious family through the baptism ritual.