noun
child of unknown paternity; illegitimate child
Dated term for a child whose father is not known or not acknowledged; often carries a social stigma from earlier eras.
昔の村では、父なし子は肩身の狭い思いをしたという。
In old villages, a child of unknown paternity was said to have a hard time.
noun
Dated term for a child who has lost their father through death; now more commonly expressed as 父親のいない子 or 遺児.
戦争で父なし子になった子どもたちが大勢いた。
There were many children who became fatherless because of the war.
Compound of 父 (てて, old word for 'father') + なし (without) + 子 (child). The reading てて is an archaic or dialectal form of ちち.