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by-blow

[bahy-bloh]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR by-blow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an incidental or accidental blow.
Also bye-blow. an illegitimate child; bastard.

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RELATED WORDS

bastard, whoreson, bastardy

Nearby words

  1. by weight,
  2. by word of mouth,
  3. by-,
  4. by-and-by,
  5. by-bidder,
  6. by-catch,
  7. by-election,
  8. by-form,
  9. by-line,
  10. by-name

Origin of by-blow

First recorded in 1585–95; by- + blow1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for by-blow

  • Nature had meant him for a butcher, but, being a by-blow of a great house, a discerning patron had diverted him bishopward.

    The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough

  • Tush, a by-blow for mirth, we must have better purchase, we want a fourth for another project that I have ripen'd.

    Beaumont and Fletcher's Works (9 of 10)|Francis Beaumont
British Dictionary definitions for by-blow

by-blow

noun

a passing or incidental blow
an archaic word for a bastard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012