noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The state of being a bastard (illegitimate child). dated, uncountable
2. 2
   The unpleasant behaviour of a bastard (objectionable person). rare, uncountable

Etymology

From Middle English bastardrie, an alternation of bastardie after the suffix -erie; equivalent to bastard + -ry.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.