An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Gote

by Friedrich Kluge

Gote, feminine, ‘godmother,’ from Middle High German gote, gotte, feminine, ‘‘godmother’ Old High German gota; besides these Middle High German göte, götte, masculine, godfather,’ occur. Probably Old High German *goto and gota are pet terms (compare Base) for the co pounds gotfater, gotmuoter, gotsunu, ' gottohtar; compare the equivalent Anglo-Saxon godfœder, godsunu, goddohter, which are equal to English godfather, godson, and goddaughter; also Swedish gubbe, ‘old man,’ gumma, ‘old woman’ (dialectic ‘godmother’), are pet names for guðfaðer, guðmóðer. As may be seen under Gevatter and Pate, the godfather is pater spiritualis, the child baptized filius or filia spiritualis; compare Vetter also.