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

Derived Forms

• ˈsonless, adjective
• ˈsonˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• sonless adjective
• sonlike 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

In addition to the idiom beginning with son , also see favorite son ; like father, like son .

Example Sentences

The “Strip That Down” singer’s dark blue casket arrived at the church in a white horse-drawn hearse carrying floral arrangements spelling the words “son” and “daddy,” the BBC said.

From Los Angeles Times

While she pleaded publicly for the safe return of her sons, they were at the bottom of a nearby lake.

From BBC

Lenard Sr. coached all three of his sons in youth football and knew they had talent.

From Los Angeles Times

Former Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford asked the player he considers like a son what his plan was.

From Los Angeles Times

Murray, who shares three kids — a son and two daughters — with wife Sarah Roemer, has different priorities now.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boy
• child
• descendant
• kid
• offspring