The term namesake has several meanings, being commonly used to designate people who have the same first name.
The phrases "He is my namesake" or "They are namesakes" are common examples of the use of the term. Xará is, therefore, synonymous with homonym, but it is normally used for people's proper names.
The southern region of Brazil uses the term tocaio as a synonym for namesake, as does the region of Trás-os-Montes in Portugal. The fact that these regions are close to Spanish-speaking countries, where the term is used, is perhaps not unrelated to this. tocayo with the same meaning.
Xará is also used as a vocative, a way of greeting someone, meaning companion, friend or comrade in Brazilian slang. For example: "Hey, namesake, everything quiet?"
One of dances that make up the gaucho fandango it is also called the Xara.
Shará or shará?
Many people have doubts about the spelling of this word, particularly between namesake and chara. The word char is wrong, and does not exist in the Portuguese language dictionary.
Etymology of the namesake
A possible explanation for the origin of the word namesake comes from the Tupi-Guarani expression sa rare, a term derived from reserve, whose meaning in the ancient indigenous language is “the one who has my name”.