noun
namesake
NAYM-sayk
noun
1
A person or thing named after someone or something else, or the person that gave their name.
"The ship was a namesake of its famous predecessor."
"Little James is the namesake of his late grandfather."
How to Use Namesake
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone or something that shares a name with, or was named in honour of, someone else.
Common mistake
It can point in either direction — the person named after someone, or the original person the name comes from.
Word Forms
namesaked past tense, namesakes plural, namesakes singular
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The ship was a _____ of its famous predecessor.
Etymology
From the 17th-century phrase "for one's name's sake," used in early Bible translations, ultimately from a Hebrew idiom about protecting someone's reputation.