son

¹

[suhn]

noun

1. a male child or person in relation to his parents.

2. a male child or person adopted as a son; a person in the legal position of a son.

3. any male descendant.

   a son of the Aztecs.

4. a son-in-law.

5. a person related as if by ties of sonship.

6. a male person looked upon as the product or result of particular agencies, forces, influences, etc..

   a true son of the soil.

7. a familiar term of address to a man or boy from an older person, an ecclesiastic, etc.

8. the Son, the second person of the Trinity; Jesus Christ.

son-

²

1. variant of soni- before a vowel.

   sonance.

son

¹

/ sʌn /

noun

1. a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents

2. a male descendant

3. (often capital) a familiar term of address for a boy or man

4. a male from a certain country, place, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment

   a son of the circus

   a son of the manse

Son

²

/ sʌn /

noun

1. Christianity the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ

Other Word Forms

• sonless adjective
• sonlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of son¹

before 900; Middle English sone, Old English sunu; cognate with Dutch zoon, German Sohn, Old Norse sunr, sonr, Gothic sunus, Lithuanian sūnùs, Sanskrit sūnus; akin to Greek huiós

Word History and Origins

Origin of son¹

Old English sunu; related to Old Norse sunr, Gothic sunus, Old High German sunu, Lithuanian sūnus, Sanskrit sūnu

Idioms and Phrases

• favorite son
• like father, like son

Example Sentences

The panel said Monguia also made improper remarks to prospective jurors including one woman whom he referred to as a “hot mess” after she disclosed her son’s criminal history during jury selection in September 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

“What Pat did in terms of challenging the status quo was quintessentially American,” Oliphant’s son, Grant, says in the film.

From Salon

His son Thiago is in Arsenal's academy and Sterling wants to avoid disrupting his family life again.

From BBC

The Duchess and Duke of Kent had three children, but another son was stillborn.

From BBC

The couple went on to have two sons, one of whom was born so prematurely he is registered blind and has special educational needs.

From BBC

Related Words

• boy 
• child 
• descendant 
• kid 
• offspring