amarcar

A regional verb from the Andean highlands (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia), with roots in Quechua, meaning to carry a child in one's arms, and by extension to act as a child's godparent or sponsor. It's largely unfamiliar outside those regions.

• La abuela amarcaba al bebé mientras la madre trabajaba. — The grandmother carried the baby in her arms while the mother worked.
• En la fiesta del pueblo, la madrina amarcó al niño durante la ceremonia. — At the village festival, the godmother carried the child during the ceremony.
• Es costumbre amarcar al recién nacido en su primer bautizo. — It's customary to carry the newborn in one's arms at their first baptism.

Using amarcar outside Andean Spanish-speaking regions and expecting to be understood — cargar or llevar en brazos is what speakers elsewhere would use for 'carry in one's arms.'

Often confused with cargar.