Compadre
/kəmˈpɑːdreɪ/noun
A close male friend or companion, especially in Spanish-speaking cultures; traditionally, a child’s godfather or the father of the child’s godchild.
Did you know?In Spanish-speaking cultures, becoming compadres through a child’s baptism establishes compadrazgo, a powerful form of ritual kinship linking the godfather and the child’s parents.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ph₂tḗr
“Father; the ancestral root behind many Indo-European words for a male parent.”
Classical Latin
Latin
pater
“Father.”
Late Latin
Latin
compater
“Co-father; a man joined to another father through a child’s baptism or religious sponsorship.”
Medieval Spanish
Old Spanish
compadre
“A godfather or the father of one’s godchild; literally, a ritual co-father.”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
compadre
“A term for a godfather and, more broadly, a familiar male associate or close friend.”
Modern English
English
compadre
“A close male friend, companion, or comrade, often retaining a Spanish or Latin American cultural flavor.”