# namesake

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈneɪmseɪk/ · frequency rank #25,493

## Definitions
1. An entity that lends its name to another entity.
2. An entity that lends its name to another entity.
3. An entity that lends its name to another entity.
4. An entity that lends its name to another entity.
5. Something (especially a ship, a building, or a medical condition, symptom, or sign) that is named after someone or something.

## Etymology
Mid-17th century. Equivalent to name + sake. From the phrase “for (one's) name's sake”, first found in Bible translations as a rendering of a Calque of Hebrew לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (l'má'an sh'mó) idiom meaning “to protect one's reputation” or possibly “vouched for by one's reputation”. A familiar example is in Psalm 23:3.

## Common misspellings (11)
`anmesake`, `naemsake`, `nameaske`, `namesaek`, `namesakke`, `nameskae`, `namessake`, `nammesake`, `namseake`, `nmaesake`, `nnamesake`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/namesake