KYsheeplover06  +  113039 Mon, 27 Jun 05 11:47 PM Is there a word that means the opposite of namesake? You know, if you're named for a certain person, what the person you're named for is called in relation to you. Sorry, that may be a bit confusing, but I'd love to know because I'm working on a composition based entirely around that idea. Thanks! Sarah KYsheeplover06 Joined on Mon, Jun 27 2005 Full Member 251 "It's easy to see without looking too far that not much is really sacred." - Bob Dylan

	Clive  +  113087 Tue, 28 Jun 05 01:59 AM Hi, Well, my dictionary just defines 'namesake' as a person or thing with the same name as another. If little Tom is given that name because he has an uncle called Tom, it doesn't sound wrong to say 'Tom and his uncle are namesakes'. 'Sake' has meanings related to 'in honour or consideration of', but I think the 'honour' of sharing a name can go in both directions. I admire your boldness. Some people might hesitate to define themselves as a sheep-lover. Best wishes, Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,585 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

	KYsheeplover06  +  113092 Tue, 28 Jun 05 02:07 AM That was a really confusing question, and I wasn't quite sure what I was talking about. Thanks for helping me out, Clive. As for being a "sheep-lover", I'm proud of it. I show lambs, and I love my lambs as much as anyone else would love their dog or cat. Thanks again, Sarah KYsheeplover06

	khoff  +  113102 Tue, 28 Jun 05 02:39 AM Sarah - forgive me for asking - but are your lambs just pets, or do they eventually become someone's dinner? (I'm just curious - I have a daughter about your age, I think, also named Sarah, also a Beatles fan, who is a staunch vegetarian.) I agree that there should be a different word for the older person after whom the younger person is named, but I guess there's not. khoff Joined on Sun, Mar 6 2005 Senior Member 3,264 Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert) Whom

	KYsheeplover06  +  113115 Tue, 28 Jun 05 03:45 AM No problem at all, I'm open to any questions. Unfortunately, some of my lambs do become someone's dinner. :( My family farms for a living, so we have to sell some of the little critters. (and yes, I have eaten lamb) Typically the only ones we sale are the wethers (the equivilant of a steer). The ewes we keep to add back to the flock. The lamb sale is often a tearful event, but its a price one pays to have the great life of living on a farm. About your daughter being vegetarian... that's interesting. In fact, my very best friend is vegan. I think it's a great idea, but I, myself just couldn't pull it off. Also, always glad to hear of a fellow Beatles fan. I often get remarks from my dad (who's 55) that living with me is like Beatlemania all over again. ~ Sarah KYsheeplover06

	MrPedantic  +  113413 Wed, 29 Jun 05 12:00 AM Perhaps 'eponym'; which Merriam-Webster defines as: 1 : one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named Thus John Lennon is the eponym of John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Whom

	Clive  +  113418 Wed, 29 Jun 05 12:55 AM Hi, I 'feel' that eponym is only for 'things', not people. My Canadian Oxford Dictionary talks about 'discovery, invention, place, institution etc.' Perhaps 'etc.' could include people, but it doesn't sound quite right to me. Perhaps other dictionaries can shed more light? Clive Clive

	MrPedantic  +  113431 Wed, 29 Jun 05 01:19 AM It is a strange little word. But I suppose we describe Tom Jones as the 'eponymous hero' of Tom Jones (i.e. the book is named for the character); so presumably Tom Jones himself is the eponym. MrP MrPedantic