illegitimate

Etymology

It is formed from English il- + legitimate,^[2][3][4][5] on the model of Late Latin illēgitimus (“not lawful, illegitimate”),^[2][6][7][8] which is made up of in- (“not”) and lēgitimus (“lawful”).^[8][9] The OED describes it as the Latin adjective with the English suffix -ate, formed after the pattern of legitimate.^[9][10] It replaced the earlier illegitime, used from 1502 to 1669,^[9][6][2] which came from Middle French illegitime and the Latin adjective.^[9] In Latin the adjective is found perhaps in the 4th century and in British sources from the 8th, and in the sense of birth out of wedlock frequently from the 13th.^[9] The Latin lēgitimus comes from lēx (“law”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of a child, born to parents who were not lawfully married to each other, and so without full rights in law: 1536, in an Act of Parliament of Henry VIII.^[9][2][4] Weekley notes that this is the oldest sense in English.^[11]

Semantic evolution

From the sense of birth the word widened to anything not sanctioned by law or by rules: "unlawful, illicit" is recorded from 1565,^[9] and Etymonline dates the general sense "unauthorized, irregular, unwarranted" by the 1640s.^[6] From 1579 it was used of reasoning that does not follow the rules of logic,^[9][4] and after 1598 also of anything irregular or abnormal, later especially in breeding, as of plants fertilized in an unusual way.^[9][4] Johnson (1755) gave only the sense of birth, "unlawfully begotten; not begotten in wedlock".^[12] In 1770 it was applied to light dramatic entertainment as opposed to the regular drama,^[9] and since 1852 in British horse racing to steeplechasing and hurdling, as distinct from flat racing.^[9] The noun, an illegitimate person, dates from 1586;^[9] in early Australian slang an illegitimate was a free settler, as opposed to a convict who had been sent there by law (1827).^[9][13] The verb, to declare a person illegitimate, is recorded from 1606.^[9][10] In Devon dialect the word was used, by confusion, for a person who could not read or write.^[14]

Timeline

• 1502 – the earlier adjective illegitime (obsolete by 1669).^[9]
• 1536 – born to parents not married to each other.^[9][2][4]
• 1565 – not authorized by law or rules; unlawful.^[9]
• 1579 – not logically valid.^[9]
• 1586 – noun, an illegitimate person.^[9]
• 1598 – irregular or abnormal.^[9]
• 1606 – verb, to declare illegitimate.^[9]
• 1770 – of drama, light or popular rather than regular.^[9]
• 1827 – Australian slang, a free settler rather than a convict.^[9][13]
• 1844 – weakened sense, invalid or unjustifiable.^[9]
• 1852 – British horse racing, of steeplechasing and hurdle racing.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Born to parents who were not married to each other: an illegitimate daughter of the duke.^[15][4][9]
2. Not allowed by law or by the rules; illegal or unlawful: an illegitimate seizure of power.^[15][4][9]
3. Not correctly inferred or reasoned; illogical.^[15][4][9]
4. Departing from what is regular or usual; abnormal, especially in biology or breeding.^[4][9]
5. (British, horse racing) Of or relating to steeplechasing and hurdle racing rather than flat racing.^[9]

Noun

1. An illegitimate person, especially a child born out of wedlock.^[15][4][9]

Verb

1. To make or declare illegitimate; to bastardize.^[4][9][10]

Word family

• illegitimately
• illegitimateness
• illegitimatize
• illegit
• illegitimacy
• illegitimize

Related words

• legitimate
• legal
• illegitime
• illegal

Usage notes

The mock-Latin motto illegitimi non carborundum, usually rendered as "don't let the bastards grind you down", is recorded by 1965 and said to date from about 1939;^[6] Carborundum was a brand of abrasives.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 32 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
12. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
13. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
14. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
15. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins