son
UK[sʌn]US[sʌn]
n
A person's male child.
n
A male descendant.
n
A man or boy in relation to his parents.
n
(often as a form of address) A friendly or condescending form of address to a boy or man.
n
(the Son) (in Christian belief) Jesus Christ.
Etymology
The English word 'son' descends directly from the Old English 'sunu', which is of Germanic origin. It is related to the Dutch 'zoon', German 'Sohn', and Old Norse 'sonr'. These all trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root suHnús, meaning "son", which is itself derived from the root sewH- meaning "to give birth". This ancient lineage highlights the word's fundamental role in describing kinship, a concept that has remained semantically stable for millennia across many Indo-European languages.
Analysis
The word 'son' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes in modern English.
Examples
He is the proud father of a newborn son.
The company, founded by his father, was passed down to the son.
"Be brave, son," the old man said reassuringly.