A childe was a loomed "youth" of the Great Houses, with the plural term being childrene. The terms were coined to differentiate the offspring of the Houses from the offspring of lesser species, since "youth is relative, as is biology." (PROSE: Of the City of the Saved...)
Most Houses loomed their childrene as full grown adults and handled their mental development separately (PROSE: Lungbarrow, Against Nature), but some childrene physically resembled the children of lesser species. (PROSE: Of the City of the Saved...)
During the War, House Mirraflex and House Meddhoran used the term in common vernacular (PROSE: Of the City of the Saved..., Against Nature) Prior to the conflict, House Lungbarrow, at least in the recollection of a prominent member, used the term "loomling." (PROSE: Unnatural History)