bas·tard
[bas-terd]
Show IPA–noun
1.
a person born of unmarried parents; an illegitimate child.
2.
Slang .
a.
a vicious, despicable, or thoroughly disliked person:Some bastard slashed the tires on my car.
b.
a person, esp. a man: The poor bastard broke his leg.
3.
something irregular, inferior, spurious, or unusual.
–adjective
5.
illegitimate in birth.
6.
spurious; not genuine; false: The architecture was bastardGothic.
7.
of abnormal or irregular shape or size; of unusual make orproportions: bastard quartz; bastard mahogany.
8.
having the appearance of; resembling in some degree: abastard Michelangelo; bastard emeralds.
9.
Printing . (of a character) not of the font in which it is usedor found.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < AF bastard, ML bastardus (from 11th century),perh. < Gmc (Ingvaeonic) *bāst-, presumed var. of *bōst- marriage + OF -ard -ard, taken as signifying the offspring of apolygynous marriage to a woman of lower status, a pagan traditionnot sanctioned by the church; cf. OFris bost marriage < Gmc*bandstu-, a n. deriv. of IE *bhendh- bind; the traditionalexplanation of OF bastard as deriv. of fils de bast “child of apacksaddle” is doubtful on chronological and geographical grounds
1250–1300; ME < AF bastard, ML bastardus (from 11th century),perh. < Gmc (Ingvaeonic) *bāst-, presumed var. of *bōst- marriage + OF -ard -ard, taken as signifying the offspring of apolygynous marriage to a woman of lower status, a pagan traditionnot sanctioned by the church; cf. OFris bost marriage < Gmc*bandstu-, a n. deriv. of IE *bhendh- bind; the traditionalexplanation of OF bastard as deriv. of fils de bast “child of apacksaddle” is doubtful on chronological and geographical grounds
—Synonyms
6. fake, imitation, imperfect, sham, irregular, phony.
6. fake, imitation, imperfect, sham, irregular, phony.
