Scion: meaning, definitions and examples

Often used to refer to a young member of a wealthy, influential family, especially in literature or formal writing.

• He is the scion of a famous political dynasty.
• The young scion took over the family business.

Typically used to refer to a person legally entitled to inherit property or title upon another's death, often in legal, formal, and royal contexts.

• As the eldest son, he is the heir to the family's fortune.
• The young prince is the heir to the throne.

A general term used to refer to a person's children or a young of animals, often used in scientific, informal, and everyday language. It may sometimes carry a neutral or slightly impersonal tone.

• Many parents worry about the future of their offspring.
• The lioness cared for her offspring with great affection.

A general term applied to anyone who is descended from a particular ancestor, commonly used in genealogy and historical contexts.

• She is a direct descendant of the first settlers.
• The descendants of the ancient tribe still live in the region.

Typically used in the context of royal or noble families, referring to a descendant or heir. Can also be used in horticulture to refer to a young shoot or twig of a plant, especially one grafted to another plant.

• Prince William is a scion of the British royal family.
• The gardener carefully grafted the scion onto the rootstock.

Mostly used in horticulture and surgery. In gardening, it refers to the technique of joining two plant parts together so effectively that they grow as one. In medicine, it implies transplanting tissue from one part of the body to another, or even from another donor.

• The gardener used a graft to combine the hardiness of one plant and the fruit-bearing ability of another.
• The surgeon successfully completed the skin graft after the accident.

Commonly used in horticulture when a part of a plant (stem, leaf, or root) is cut and used to grow a new plant.

• She started a beautiful garden from a single ivy cutting.
• The cactus cutting took root and began to grow after a few weeks.

Refers to new growth from a plant, such as stems, branches, or leaves. It is also used metaphorically to describe new business ventures or ideas.

• The new rose shoot will eventually grow into a beautiful branch.
• The startup was the latest shoot of the tech entrepreneur's expanding business.