In Scots, a godfather or a man serving in a paternal role; a male guardian or sponsor.
From Scots gude (god/good) + father. In Scottish usage, 'gude' represents god in compounds like gudefather and gudemother, paralleling English godfather and godmother.
Gudefather reveals a sound shift in Scots—'god' became 'gud,' so instead of saying 'godfather' like modern English, Scots kept an older form that sounds like it means 'good father,' creating a lovely homophonic pun.
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