Son " (?), n. [OE. sone, sune, AS. sunu; akin to D. zoon, OS., OFries., & OHG. sunu, G. sohn, Icel. sonr, Sw. son, Dan. sön, Goth. sunus, Lith. sunus, Russ. suin, Skr. sūnu (from sū to beget, to bear), and Gr. ? son. √293. Cf. Sow, n.] "

1. A male child; the male issue, or offspring, of a parent, father or mother.

Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son. Gen. xxi. 2.

2. A male descendant, however distant; hence, in the plural, descendants in general.

I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings. Isa. xix. 11.

I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Mal. iii. 6.

3. Any young male person spoken of as a child; an adopted male child; a pupil, ward, or any other young male dependent.

"The child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son." Ex. ii. 10.

Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift. Shak.

4. A native or inhabitant of some specified place; as, sons of Albion; sons of New England.

5. The produce of anything.

"Earths tall sons, the cedar, oak, and pine." Blackmore.

6. (Commonly with the def. article) Jesus Christ, the Savior; -- called the Son of God, and the Son of man.

We . . . do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John iv. 14.

Who gave His Son sure all has given. Keble.

☞ The expressions son of pride, sons of light, son of Belial, are Hebraisms, which denote persons possessing the qualitites of pride, of light, or of Belial, as children inherit the qualities of their ancestors.

Sons of the prophets. See School of the prophets, under Prophet.

-- Webster's unabridged 1913