son

 
Pronunciation: /sʌn/

noun

  • a boy or man in relation to either or both of his parents.
  • a male offspring of an animal.
  • a male descendant: the sons of Adam
  • (the Son) (in Christian belief) the second person of the Trinity; Christ.
  • a man considered in relation to his native country or area: one of Norfolk’s most famous sons
  • a man regarded as the product of a particular person, influence, or environment: sons of the church
  • (also my son) used by an older person as a form of address for a boy or young man: you’re on private land, son

Phrases

son of a bitch

(plural sons of bitches) informal used as a general term of contempt or abuse.

son of a gun

(plural sons of guns) informal, chiefly North American a jocular or affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone: he’s a pretentious son of a gun, but he’s got a heart of gold
[with reference to the guns carried aboard ships: the epithet is said to have been applied originally to babies born at sea to women allowed to accompany their husbands]

Derivatives

sonship

noun

Origin:

Old English sunu, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zoon and German Sohn, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek huios