by-product

American  

[bahy-prod-uhkt] / ˈbaɪˌprɒd əkt /

noun

1. a secondary or incidental product, as in a process of manufacture.

2. the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.

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by-product British  

noun

1. a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process

2. a side effect

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by-product Scientific  

/ bī′prŏd′əkt /

1. Something produced in the process of making something else. When plants produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis, oxygen is released as a by-product. Asphalt and paraffin are by-products of the process of refining crude oil into gasoline.

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Etymology

Origin of by-product

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Companies are allowed to release some oil as a by-product of routine production and are given permits that allow discharges.

From BBC

One by-product of the newly implemented clock is that it’s hard to get a pitcher out of a groove like Civale was in; he needed just 80 pitches to go seven scoreless innings.

From Seattle Times

Thomas said government policy swings world over are a by-product of the volatility associated with the tension between energy security and the transition to cleaner energy.

From Reuters

Depleted uranium is a dense by-product left over when uranium is enriched for use in nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons.

From Reuters

The water contains tritium, a common by-product of nuclear plant operations.

From BBC

Related Words

• outgrowth