Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to christen after

to christen after

6.8
To give a child a name that honors another person
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈkrɪsən ˈæftər/
translation icon : nombrar en honor a
  • They decided to christen their daughter after her grandmother.

Examples

  • My parents christened me after my great-aunt.

  • Many people christen after a famous figure they admire.

  • The couple wanted to christen after a beloved friend who had recently passed away.

  • They decided to christen after her grandmother to keep the family tradition alive.

  • The couple wanted to christen after a beloved friend who had recently passed away.

  • They decided to christen after her grandmother to keep the family tradition alive.

  • My parents christened after me my great-aunt.

Synonyms

to name
vsto christen after
∞ 1.0

To give a word people use to identify someone or something

focuses on honoring a person by giving their personal label to someone
to named after
vsto christen after
51 2.9

Give someone or something the same name as another to show a connection with them

focuses mainly on giving a child's personal label rather than labeling objects

Surface Forms

christen after infinitive
christened after past
christened after past participle
christening after present participle
christens after third person singular

Morphology

christen + after

The verb 'christen' clearly means to give a name, but the particle 'after' in its basic temporal sense ('subsequently') does not by itself signal the honorific sense 'in honor of'. The construction is partially compositional—learners who know 'christen' and the collocate 'named after' may infer the meaning, but the specific honorific extension of 'after' is somewhat idiomatic and not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Christen after comes from the old Christian practice of naming a baby at baptism: to christen meant to give a name, and adding after showed the name was taken from someone admired, like a parent or a saint. So, to christen after today means 'to give someone a name in honor of another person'.