illegitimize

[ il-i-jit-uh-mahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, il·le·git·i·mized, il·le·git·i·miz·ing.

1. to make illegitimate:

   The decree illegitimized his heirs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of illegitimize¹

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

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg