Etymologically
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illegitimate

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Pronunciation

  • /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/, /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmeɪt/[1]

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

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