son

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a male human offspring

   their son became a famous judge

2. 2
   noun

   One's male offspring.

   Before the birth of the man's child, he said: "I want a son, not a daughter."

3. 3
   noun

   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.

   Eli called Samuel his son. Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift.

4. 4
   noun

   A male person considered to have been significantly shaped by social conflict.

   He was a son of the mafia system.

5. 5
   noun

   A person regarded as the product of some place.

   I hold it to be true, that the people are the sons of the soil; and we are only their instruments here.

6. 6
   noun

   A familiar address to a male person from an older or otherwise more authoritative person.

   Son, can't you see that she's just a little girl?

7. 7
   noun

   The current version of a file, derived from the preceding father file.

   Three generations of file are usually kept, being the grandfather, father and son files.

8. 8
   verb

   To produce (i.e. bear, father, beget) a son.

   I sonned a father who would not be sonned, […]

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”).