Bastardy
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The condition of being illegitimate, of being born to an unmarried woman and man or as the fruit of adultery. countable, uncountable
"Go, after, after, cousin Buckingham. The Mayor towards Guildhall hies him in all post:— There, at your meet'st advantage of the time, Infer the bastardy of Edward's children: Tell them how Edward put to death a citizen, Only for saying he would make his son Heir to the crown;—meaning, indeed, his house, Which, by the sign thereof, was termed so."
- 2 the status of being born to parents who were not married wordnet
Example
More examples"Go, after, after, cousin Buckingham. The Mayor towards Guildhall hies him in all post:— There, at your meet'st advantage of the time, Infer the bastardy of Edward's children: Tell them how Edward put to death a citizen, Only for saying he would make his son Heir to the crown;—meaning, indeed, his house, Which, by the sign thereof, was termed so."
Etymology
From Middle English bastardie (also as bastardrie), a borrowing from Middle French bastardie. Equivalent to bastard + -y.
Related phrases
More for "bastardy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.