son

Noun

son (plural sons)

2. One's male offspring.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:son

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

   • 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:

     From what conſummate vertue I have choſe / This perfect Man, by merit call'd my Son,

3. A male adopted person in relation to his adoptive parents.
4. 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.
   • 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:

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

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

   He was a son of the mafia system.

6. A person regarded as the product of some place.
   • 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:

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

7. A familiar address to a male person from an older or otherwise more authoritative person.
   • 1984, “Working on the Highway”, in Bruce Springsteen (music), Born in the U.S.A.:

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

   • 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     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?

8. (UK, New York City, colloquial) An informal address to a friend or person of equal authority.
9. (computing) The current version of a file, derived from the preceding father file.
   • 2004, Ray Bradley, The Ultimate Computing Glossary for Advanced Level, page 31:

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

   • 2007, O. Ray Whittington, Patrick R. Delaney, Wiley CPA Exam Review 2008: Auditing and Attestation, page 779:

     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.

Verb

son (third-person singular simple present sons, present participle sonning, simple past and past participle sonned)

1. (transitive) To produce (i.e. bear, father, beget) a son.
   • 1997, Noel Polk, Outside the Southern Myth:

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

2. (transitive) To address (someone) as "son".
   • 2005, Jerry Flesher, Tomorrow I'll Miss You:

     “Don't 'son' me.” “I'm old enough to be your father,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

   • 2014, Stuart A. McKeever, Becoming Joey Fizz:

     “Son—now's not the time, please.” “It's the perfect time—it's the best time fucking time I ever had. There's not gonna be another time, so don't son me, you bastard. […] ”

Noun

son (uncountable)

2. (music) Son cubano, a genre of music and dance blending Spanish and African elements that originated in Cuba during the late 19th century.
   • 2017, Mark Kurlansky, Havana: A Subtropical Delirium‎, Bloomsbury, →ISBN:

     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.

Derived terms

• middernagson
• sonbril
• Sondag
• sonlig
• sonneblom
• sonnestelsel
• sonnig
• sonpaneel
• sonskyn

Related terms

• asun