Godchildren

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The children of one’s godparent, often involved in religious or cultural rites
2. Individuals designated as special wards by a godparent, usually receiving spiritual guidance
3. Offspring of a person who has assumed a parental role in a non-biological sense, particularly in religious contexts

Etymology: "Godchildren" is simply the plural of "godchild," so its history is that of the two parts joined together. "God" comes from Old English "god," inherited from Proto-Germanic, and "child" comes from Old English "cild." The compound "godchild" appears in English in the late Old English period, where it meant a child for whom someone stood as sponsor at baptism, the sense it still carries. The "godchildren" meaning given here is a little off. In standard usage, godchildren are the children a person sponsors at baptism or confirmation, not the children of one's godparent. A godparent's own children are a person's godsiblings or simply cousins or siblings, depending on the relationship. The plural form itself is regular, formed by adding "-ren" to "child," an old plural ending that also survives in "children" and "brethren."