See Also:

son(1) (iou)



son noun1.
[Old English sunu = Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German sunu (Dutch zoon, German Sohn), Old Norse sunr, sonr, Gothic sunus, from Germanic, rel. to Greek huios.]
a. A male human being in relation to either or both of his parents. Also, a male offspring of an animal. OE.
Times D. Illingworth and Son, Leeds, mungo manufacturers. G. F. Newman The maintenance of his ex-wife and her mongol son. M. Esslin Samuel Beckett was..the son of a quantity surveyor.
b. A son-in-law. Long rare. M16.
Christian Church. (Usu. Son.) Jesus Christ; the Second Person of the Trinity. OE.
a. A person who is regarded as, or takes the place of, a son. OE.
b. Used as a term of affectionate or familiar address to a man or boy by an older person or (also my son) by a person in a superior, esp. ecclesiastical, relation. OE.
Sir W. Scott 'Prove thy strength, my son..' said the preacher. K. Waterhouse Come in, son, sit yourself down. L. Griffiths Wisdom, shrewdness..nothing goes further than this, my old son.
a. A male descendant; a male member of a family, race, etc. OE.
Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing Adam's sons are my brethren.
b. A member, follower, or founder of a religious body or order. LME.
Friend A loyal son of the Roman Church.
A person who is characterized by or regarded as inheriting a certain quality, trait, occupation, etc.; a person who is associated with a particular attribute or is the product of a certain place. L16.
Pope All the sons of warlike Greece. J. Adams A staunch, zealous son of liberty.
Computing. An updated file, usu. on a removable magnetic medium, which has been created from a corresponding father (see FATHER noun 7). M20.
Phrases & comb.: favourite son: see FAVOURITE adjective. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: see GOD noun. horny-handed son of toil, son of toil (now often iron.) a manual labourer. native son: see NATIVE adjective. prodigal son: see PRODIGAL adjective. son and heir a usu. eldest son who stands to succeed to an inheritance. son-before-the-father (now dial.) any of several plants with flowers appearing before the leaves, e.g. coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara. son-in-law, pl. sons-in-law, (a) the husband of one's daughter; (b) a stepson. son of a formula for the title of a sequel to a book or film; joc. a programme, product, institution, etc., that is a derivative of its predecessor. son of a bitch, sonofabitch slang (a) a despicable or hateful man; (b) used as a general term of contempt or abuse. son of a gun: see GUN noun. Son of God (a) Jesus Christ; (b) a divine being; an angel; (c) (son of God) a person spiritually attached to God. Son of Heaven [translating Chinese tianzi] Hist. the Emperor of China. son of man (a) a member of the human race; a mortal; (b) spec. (Son of Man) Jesus Christ. son of the house: see HOUSE noun1. son of the manse: see MANSE 2. son of the soil: see SOIL noun1. son of toil: see horny-handed son of toil above.