Word
scion
US/ˈsaɪən/
UK/sɪˈɒn/
Definitions
01family descendant
n. a young person who comes from a very famous, rich, or powerful family.
n. a descendant or heir, particularly one belonging to a noble, wealthy, or otherwise distinguished lineage.
“As the scion of a massive tech empire, he was expected to lead the company one day.”
“The young scion of the banking dynasty felt the heavy weight of expectation as he prepared for his first board meeting.”
Formal
Usage
Often used with 'of' to indicate the specific family or dynasty.
Teaching tip
This term is almost exclusively used in journalism or literature when discussing high-society families or royal dynasties.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02plant shoot
n. a small branch or bud cut from one plant to be joined onto another plant so it can grow.
n. a detached living shoot or twig containing buds from a woody plant, intended for grafting onto a rootstock.
“The gardener carefully attached the scion to the rootstock of the apple tree.”
“Successful grafting requires a clean cut and precise alignment between the scion and the host plant's vascular tissue.”
Technical
Usage
Commonly used in horticulture and botany.
Teaching tip
While this is the original botanical meaning, the 'family descendant' sense is more common in general high-level English reading.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“The majority of those who carried out the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia and planning was led by al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin-Laden, scion of a prominent Saudi family.” “Lavish regal weddings are counterpointed with footage of scions of the Royal House dealing militarily with the existential threat.” Etymology
From Middle English sion, sioun, syon, scion, cion, from Old French cion, ciun, cyon, sion, from Frankish kīþō, kīþ, from Proto-Germanic kīþô, kīþą, kīþaz (“sprout”), from Proto-Indo-European geye- (“to split open, sprout”), same source as Old English ċīþ (“a young shoot; sprout; germ; sprig”), Old Saxon kīth (“sprout; germ”), Old High German kīdi (“offshoot; sprout; germ”). See also French scion and Picard chion. Doublet of chit.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/scion