bastardy
Americannoun
-
the state or condition of being a bastard; illegitimacy.
-
the act of begetting a bastard.
noun
Etymology
Origin of bastardy
1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French bastardie. See bastard, -y 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Bracton does have a lot to say about monsters, duels, bastardy, concubines, sturgeon “and other royal fish,” the “pillory and the ducking-stool," and "a judgment with infamy.”
From Washington Post ● May 9, 2022
That in heraldry, a bend sinister indicates bastardy.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2019
In condoning bastardy, North Dakota and Arizona are the most liberal States in the Union.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the appellate division he argued 1,400 cases covering every imaginable kind of law from bastardy to bankruptcy.
From Time Magazine Archive
With us in England the rule is narrowed, for the nuptials must be precedent to the birth; of which more will be said when we come to consider the case of bastardy.
From Commentaries on the Laws of England Book the First by Sir William Blackstone
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