scion

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>scion</strong> &#149; \SYE-un\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A <em>scion</em> is an heir or descendant of a wealthy or influential family.</p> <p>// As <em>scions</em> of the celebrity family, the siblings have options when choosing their career paths.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scion">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Walker was the beloved, indulged <em>scion</em> of a wealthy East Coast family, the son of the first curator of the National Gallery and a descendant of Thomas More, the author of the 15th-century satire 'Utopia.'" — Parul Sehgal, <em>The New York Times</em>, 1 Aug. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Scion</em> comes from Anglo-French <em>cioun</em>, meaning "offspring" or "new growth of a plant." When it first sprouted in English, it referred to a plant's shoot; the word was then applied to portions of a plant that have been <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graft">grafted</a>. The figurative meaning, "descendant," blossomed later, with particular reference to those who were descendants of notable families.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>