noun
self-sown seed; volunteer plant
Refers to seeds that fall naturally and germinate without human planting, or the resulting seedlings. Common in gardening contexts.
庭にこぼれ種から芽が出た。
A sprout came up in the garden from a self-sown seed.
noun
Euphemistic or old-fashioned term for a child born out of wedlock, especially one fathered by a master with a servant. Rare in modern usage.
昔の小説では、こぼれ種という言葉が使われることがある。
In old novels, the word こぼれ種 is sometimes used.
More direct and formal term for an illegitimate child, without the euphemistic or metaphorical nuance of こぼれ種.
Compound of こぼれ (spilled, scattered) and 種 (seed). The figurative sense 'illegitimate child' likely derives from the image of a seed scattered outside the proper field.