The Spanish word 'madrina' (meaning 'godmother') comes from the Latin word 'matrina', which was formed by combining two Latin elements: 'mater' meaning 'mother' and the suffix '-inus' meaning 'belonging to'. The Latin 'matrina' literally meant 'one belonging to or acting as a mother', which evolved to specifically mean 'godmother'. When this word entered Spanish, the 't' sound softened to 'd', giving us the modern form 'madrina'.

The Spanish word 'madre' (meaning 'mother') is closely related to 'madrina', as they both derive from the Latin 'mater'. While 'madre' directly inherited the basic meaning of 'mother', 'madrina' took on the specialized meaning of 'godmother' through the addition of the suffix.

Several English words share the same Latin root 'mater'. These include 'maternal' (relating to a mother), 'maternity' (the state of being a mother), and 'matrix' (originally meaning 'womb' or 'source'). The word 'matron', meaning a married woman or a woman in charge of others, is also related. While English uses 'godmother' instead of a word derived from 'matrina', you can see how all these words connect to the concept of motherhood.