lion cub vs lion

lion cub and lion both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
lion cub	Yes	No	No	No
lion	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, lion is a hypernym of lion cub; that is, lion is a word with a broader meaning than lion cub:

lion cub: a young lion
lion: large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male

Other hypernyms of lion cub include cub, young carnivore, king of beasts, Panthera leo.

lion cub (noun)	lion (noun)
a young lion	large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
	a celebrity who is lionized (much sought after)