marraine
/ma.ʁɛn/feminine
The French word for godmother is marraine.
The term marraine refers to a woman present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner.
Meaning: woman present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner (noun)
Which one should you use?
The masculine form for godfather is parrain. While marraine is the standard term, you might encounter more specific variations: marraine de baptême specifically means a baptismal godmother and marraine de cœur refers to an honorary godmother or a woman who acts as a godmother in spirit without being the official religious sponsor.
How do you pronounce it?
/ma.ʁɛn/
Did you know?
- The term marraine is used in the 'Parrainage' system in French schools, where an older student acts as a 'godmother' to help a new student integrate.
- Historically, the role of the marraine was a crucial way to build political or social alliances between different families in France.
- The word marraine is a linguistic descendant of the Latin word for 'mother', sharing the same root as the English word 'maternal'.
Examples in context
- Ma sœur est la marraine de ma fille.My sister is my daughter's godmother.This sentence shows how to identify a sister as a godmother using marraine.Tatoeba #1103802 by sacredceltic, translation #1103733 by elmetal
- La marraine cuisit un délicieux gâteau.The godmother baked a delicious cake.This sentence describes a godmother performing an action using marraine.Tatoeba #1016758 by sacredceltic, translation #818046 by Cindrogriza
- Elle est ma marraine.She's my godmother.This sentence is a simple way to state that someone is your godmother using marraine.Tatoeba #988856 by alexmarcelo, translation #981804 by CK
- Ma marraine est une personne extraordinaire.My godmother is an extraordinary person.
- La marraine de baptême a offert un cadeau spécial.The baptismal godmother gave a special gift.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are discussing the upcoming christening of a baby.
- ManonGabriel, as-tu choisi une marraine ?Gabriel, have you chosen a godmother?
- GabrielOui, sa tante sera sa marraine.Yes, his aunt will be his godmother.
- ManonC'est une excellente décision pour lui.That is an excellent decision for him.
- GabrielElle l'aime beaucoup, Manon.She loves him very much, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “godmother” translations and entries marraine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marraine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
