compadrar

To become compadres with someone — entering the ritual kinship formed between parents and godparents at a baptism, a tradition still meaningful in parts of rural Latin America. It's a narrow, culturally specific verb rather than an everyday one.

• Compadraron cuando él fue padrino de su hijo. — They became compadres when he was godfather to her son.
• En el pueblo, compadrar sigue siendo un lazo muy respetado. — In the village, becoming compadres is still a deeply respected bond.
• No compadraron formalmente, pero se trataban como tales. — They never formally became compadres, but they treated each other as such.

Don't confuse this with compadrear (to boast, to swagger) — the two look similar but describe unrelated things, one a kinship bond and the other a personality trait.

Often confused with compadrear.