Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
GODFATHER
I. noun Date: before 12th century a man who sponsors a person at baptism, one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: as, one that founds, supports, or inspires , the leader of an organized crime syndicate,
II. transitive verb
Date: 1780
to act as godfather to