See also: lovechild and love-child

English edit

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Etymology edit

From love +‎ child.

Noun edit

love child (plural love children)

  1. (euphemistic) A child born as a result of a romantic liaison between parents not married to one another; an illegitimate child.
    Synonyms: bastard; see also Thesaurus:bastard
    • 1841, Charles Dickens, chapter 36, in The Old Curiosity Shop:
      Nobody ever came to see her, nobody spoke of her, nobody cared about her. Mr Brass had said once, that he believed she was a ‘love-child’ (which means anything but a child of love).
    • 1968, “Love Child”, performed by The Supremes:
      Love child, never meant to be / Love child, born in poverty

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