namesake

Everyday

1. A person or thing that has the same name as another. tree →
2. A person or thing named after someone: «The ship was named after the queen, its namesake.» tree →

In the lessons

In stories and history, a namesake shares a name with a famous person or place; things are often named after people. Phrases: «his namesake», «a famous namesake».

Examples

• I met my namesake — another girl called Ruby Brown! tree →
• The town of Washington is named after George Washington, its namesake. tree →
• My grandad is my namesake; we are both called Thomas. tree →
• The new ship is a namesake of an old one sunk in the war. tree →
• Prince Charles's namesake, King Charles I, lived in the 1600s. tree →
• The bakery's namesake was the founder's grandmother. tree →
• After the feasting was over the two namesakes, along with other men, went to the cliff and brought all the treasure home to the Palace. tree →

Note

Countable; plural «namesakes». It can mean either the person who has the same name or the one the thing was named after — read carefully which. One word, not «name sake».