son
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son¹
- /sʌn/
- /sʊn/ Ireland, Northern England
Sounds like sun · Rhymes with -ʌn
Where it comes from
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”).
noun sons · sonne
- One's male offspring. Before the birth of the man's child, he said: "I want a son, not a daughter."
- A male adopted person in relation to his adoptive parents.
- 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.
- A male person considered to have been significantly shaped by social conflict. He was a son of the mafia system.
- 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.
- 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?
- An informal address to a friend or person of equal authority.
- 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.
Similar: boy, lad · Opposite: daughter, father, mother, parent
son²
Where it comes from
From Middle English sonen, sunen, from the noun (see above).
verb sons · sonning · sonned · sonne
- To produce (i.e. bear, father, beget) a son. I sonned a father who would not be sonned, […]
- To address (someone) as "son". “Don't 'son' me.” “I'm old enough to be your father,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
son³
- /sɒn/
Rhymes with -ɒn
Where it comes from
From Spanish son (literally “tone, sound”).
noun sonne
- Son cubano, a genre of music and dance blending Spanish and African elements that originated in Cuba during the late 19th century. When son first emerged in the streets of Havana, in the early twentieth century, it was shut down by the police, as were most forms of African culture. Son groups, conjuntos, caught playing on the street, as was the tradition, had their instruments confiscated.
Son⁴
Where it comes from
From son (“male offspring”).
proper noun the Son
- One of the three persons of the Trinity, believed to have become incarnated as Jesus Christ.
Son⁵
Where it comes from
As a surname, from:
*Korean 손 (son)
*Khmer ស៊ន (sɔɔn) or Khmer សឺន (səɨn)
proper noun Sons
- A surname.
SON⁶
noun
- Initialism of supraoptic nucleus
phrase
- Initialism of socked on the nose
proper noun
- Abbreviation of Sonora: a state of Mexico.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: boy, logos, word, grandson, son-in-law, dad, stepdaughter, brother, daughter-in-law, father, fils, daughter, mother, offspring, dude, sonny
Translations
Every language
noun a male person in relation to his parents
| Español | hijo, retoño |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 아들 adeul, 아드님 adeunim |
| 日本語 | 息子 musuko, 坊っちゃん botchan, せがれ segare |
| 中文 | 兒子 /儿子 érzi, érzǐ |
| हिन्दी | बेटा beṭā, पिसर pisar |
| Kiswahili | mwana, auladi, mtoto wa kiume |
| Português | filho |
| Français | fils |
| Deutsch | Sohn |
| Italiano | figlio |
| Ελληνικά | γιος gios |
| Română | fiu |
| Русский | сын syn, сыно́к synók |
| Tiếng Việt | con trai |
| العربية | اِبْن ibn |
| עברית | בֵּן ben |
noun a son through major influence
| Español | hijo |
|---|---|
| Português | filho |
| Ελληνικά | γιος gios |
| Русский | сын syn |
| العربية | اِبْن ibn |
noun male descendant
| Español | hijo |
|---|---|
| Português | filho |
| Ελληνικά | γιος gios |
| Русский | сын syn |
| العربية | اِبْن ibn |
| עברית | בן ben, צאצא tseetsá |
noun an adopted son
| 中文 | 養子 /养子 yǎngzǐ |
|---|---|
| Português | filho |
| Deutsch | Adoptivsohn |
| Ελληνικά | γιος gios |
| Русский | приёмный сын prijómnyj syn, па́сынок pásynok |
Talk about this word "son." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/son. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. son. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/son "son." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/son.Cite this
@misc{son_2026,
title = {son},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/son},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
