filius
[ˈfiː.li.ʊs]masculine
Son in Latin is filius. If unsure, use filius. Wiktionary also lists natus.
Meaning: a male person in relation to his parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| filius | [ˈfiː.li.ʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈfiː.li.us] (narrow) |
masculine |
| natus | [ˈnaː.tʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈnaː.tus] (narrow) |
masculine |
filius is the most common word for son, for the legal or biological relationship. Written with a capital, Filius is also the Son in the Christian Trinity.
Which one should you use?
natus comes from the idea of being born and means a son as one born to a parent. It is more poetic than filius.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of filius is filii.
Did you know?
- In Roman law, the term filius described a specific legal status of power under a father, which could be revoked through a ritual called 'emancipatio'.
- The words filius and fēmina, meaning 'woman', both share a common ancient root related to nursing and suckling.
Examples in context
- Ubī̆ est noster fīlius?Where is our son?fīlius is written here with the long i marked.
- Num filius ejus es?Are you his son?filius ejus means his son.Tatoeba #8129537 by soweli_Elepanto, translation #8102070 by fjay69
- Ubi est filius meus?Where is my son?filius meus means my son.Tatoeba #11481945 by shekitten, translation #2093443 by gleki
- 88 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gaius and Claudia are discussing her family.
- GaiusQuis est hic filius?Who is this son?
- ClaudiaHic est filius meus.This is my son.
- GaiusEstne filius tuus laetus?Is your son happy?
- ClaudiaIta, filius meus est laetus.Yes, my son is happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “son” translations and entries filius, natus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries filius, natus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
