Meanings
- A surname originating as a patronymic based on a medieval given name.
- rareA male given name.
- A town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States, named after pioneer settler.
plural Godwins
- informalAn inappropriate mention of the Nazis or Adolf Hitler in a discussion.
Presumably, because the institute producing the book promotes the idea that evolution isn't science, but an ideology, one that their fellows have pulled a Godwin on and attempted to tie to Nazism.
2008 September 25, John Timmer, “A biologist reviews an evolution textbook from the ID camp”, in ArsTechnica
Origin
- Old Englishwine“friend”
- EnglishGodwin
From Old English Godwine (“God's friend”). The component -win is from Old English wine (“friend”). The second meaning is named after Michael Wayne Godwin (born 1956), American attorney and author.
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Godwin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godwin
“Godwin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godwin. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Godwin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godwin.
Source: Godwin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.