son
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /sʌn/
ipa: /sʊn/
ipa: /sɒn/
rhymes: -ʌn
rhymes: -ɒn
homophone: sun
Forms: form: sons
form: sonne
Etymology: From Middle English sonn, sone, sun, sune, from Old English sunu (“son”), from Proto-West Germanic *sunu, from Proto-Germanic *sunuz (“son”), from Proto-Indo-European *suHnús (“son”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewH- (“to bear; give birth”).
Senses: examples: text: Before the birth of the man's child, he said: "I want a son, not a daughter."
text: From what conſummate vertue I have choſe / This perfect Man, by merit call'd my Son,
ref: 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 10, lines 165-166:
text: “We are pleased that LSST has now been named the Vera C. Rubin Observatory,” said Rubin’s sons Allan Rubin, David Rubin, and Karl Rubin in a statement.
ref: 2020 January 7, Ashley Strickland, “First US observatory named in honor of a female astronomer, Vera Rubin”, in CNN:
text: Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son has earned his first call-up for the Portugal Under-15 national squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
ref: 2025 May 7, Ben Morse, “‘Proud of you’: Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son earns first call-up for Portugal Under-15 national team”, in CNN:
glosses: One's male offspring.
glosses: A male adopted person in relation to his adoptive parents.
examples: text: Eli called Samuel his son. Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift.
ref: 1832, Noah Webster, “SON”, in A Dictionary of the English Language Intended to Exhibit the Origin of Words, the Orthography and Definitions: in Two Volumes · Volume 2:
glosses: A male person who has such a close relationship with an older or otherwise more authoritative person that he can be regarded as a son of the other person.
examples: text: He was a son of the mafia system.
glosses: A male person considered to have been significantly shaped by social conflict.
examples: text: I hold it to be true, that the people are the sons of the soil; and we are only their instruments here.
ref: 1850, Oliver P. Badger, convention member from Putnam, Indiana, Report of the Debates and Proceedings of the Convention for the Revision of the Constitution of the State of Indiana, 1850 Volume 1, page 827:
glosses: A person regarded as the product of some place.
examples: text: Son, can't you see that she's just a little girl?
ref: 1984, “Working on the Highway”, in Bruce Springsteen (music), Born in the U.S.A.:
text: Shepard: Stay with me. We're almost through this.
Admiral Anderson: You did good, son. You did good. I'm proud of you.
Shepard: Thank you, sir. Anderson?
ref: 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
glosses: A familiar address to a male person from an older or otherwise more authoritative person.
glosses: An informal address to a friend or person of equal authority.
examples: text: Three generations of file are usually kept, being the grandfather, father and son files.
ref: 2004, Ray Bradley, The Ultimate Computing Glossary for Advanced Level, page 31:
text: After the update, the new file master file is the son. The file from which the father was developed with the transaction files of the appropriate day is the grandfather. The grandfather and son files are stored in different locations.
ref: 2007, O. Ray Whittington, Patrick R. Delaney, Wiley CPA Exam Review 2008: Auditing and Attestation, page 779:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: The current version of a file, derived from the preceding father file.
Synonyms: word: boy
word: lad
Hypernyms: word: child
word: heir
word: kid
Derived terms: bachelor's son
batchelor's son
favorite son
favourite son
father to son
godson
grandfather-father-son
grandson
I'll be a son of a gun
like father like son
like father, like son
mother's son
my son
native son
natural son
only son
paper son
prodigal son
sexy son hypothesis
sonhead
son-in-law
sonny
son of a
son of a bachelor
son of a biscuit
son of a bitch
son of Adam
son of a duck
son of a fuck
son of a gun
son of a jackal
son of a motherless goat
son of a nutcracker
son of a sea-cook
son of a snake
son of a whore
son of bitch
son of God
son of privilege
son of the desert
son of the manse
son of the morning
son of the soil
son-out-law
stepson
the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot
whoreson
Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach