Scion: Word Wednesday (Improve Your Word Power)

Scion is today’s word and taken from the Merriam-Webster ‘Word of the Day.’

Let’s get straight to it 🙂

noun SYE-un

Definition of Scion

1 : a detached living portion of a plant (as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
2 : descendant, child; especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family
3 : heir
Examples

“The duke was the billionaire owner of swaths of central London, a friend of Britain’s royal family and the scion of an aristocratic family stretching back to the Norman Conquest.” — The Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2016
“The vibe of the place is a mixture of old-school cool and Brit eccentric. There are poems etched onto the wall by the artist Hugo Guinness, … a scion of the famous Anglo-Irish brewing family.” — Christa D’Souza, W, September 2016

Did You Know?

Scion derives from the Middle English sioun and Old French cion and is related to the Old English cīth and the Old High German kīdi (meaning “sprout” or “shoot”). When it first sprouted in English in the 14th century, scion meant “a shoot or twig.” That sense withered in horticultural contexts, but the word branched out, adding the grafting-related meaning we know today. A figurative sense also blossomed referring to one’s descendants, with particular reference to those who are descendants of notable families.

I suppose that makes me a scion of the world-famous Bentley motor car dynasty? Not!

The reference to the Anglo-Irish Guinness family is one that made me yearn for a drop of the “black stuff.” It’s like alcoholic food! Or so I tell myself.

It’s still one of my favorite drinks and always make me think back to “heavy session” days when I was lucky enough to have a ticket for Twickenham to watch England play rugby union.  The day involved meeting friends in the pub at 11 am, walking to the ground at 2 pm, watching the game (and drinking Guinness) then a curry and more Guinness after the game.

The wonderful thing about Guinness? No hangover!

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