illegitimize

American

[il-i-jit-uh-mahyz] / ɪl ɪˈdʒɪt əˌmaɪz /

especially British, illegitimise especially british, illegitimatize,

verb (used with object)

illegitimized, illegitimizing

to make illegitimate.

The decree illegitimized his heirs.

Etymology

Origin of illegitimize

First recorded in 1855–60; illegitim(ate) + -ize

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

illegitimize

Sometimes they would illegitimize two or three generations in order to find a marriage within the forbidden degrees.

From We Can't Have Everything by Rupert Hughes

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023