by-blow
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
An illegitimate child; a child of an unknown or unmarried father.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
‘Nay,’ said the landlady, ‘if I thought he was a gentleman's son, thof he was a bye-blow, I should behave to him in another guess manner; for many of these bye-blows come to be great men, and, as my poor first husband used to say, never affront any customer that's a gentleman.’
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “by-blow” mean?
An illegitimate child; a child of an unknown or unmarried father.
Is “by-blow” formal or informal?
by-blow is generally slang.