bastard

English

Etymology

From Middle English bastard, bastarde, from Anglo-Norman bastard, Old French bastart (“illegitimate child”), perhaps via Medieval Latin bastardus, of obscure origin.

It is possible is the term derives from Frankish *bāst (“marriage, relationship”) + Old French -ard, -art (pejorative suffix denoting a specific quality or condition). Frankish *bāst derives from a North Sea Germanic variety of Proto-Germanic *banstuz (“bond, connection, relationship, marriage with a second woman of lower status”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie, bind”) and is related to West Frisian boaste (“marriage, matrimony”), Middle Dutch bast (“lust, heat”), and more distantly to English boose (“cow-stall”). The term probably originally referred to a child from a polygynous marriage of heathen Germanic custom — a practice not sanctioned by the Christian churches.

Alternatively, Old French bastart may have originated from the Old French term fils de bast (“packsaddle son”), meaning a child conceived on an improvised bed (medieval saddles often doubled as beds while travelling). However chronology makes this difficult, as bastard is attested in Old French from 1089 (Middle Latin bastardus as early as 1010), yet Old French bast (modern French bât), though attested since 1130 with the meaning of "beast of burden", doesn't acquire the specific meaning of "packsaddle" until the 13c., making it too late to have given rise to the terms bastard and bastardus with this sense. The French Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales supports the Germanic theory further above as being most likely.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːs.təd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbæs.tɚd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːstə(ɹ)d, -æstə(ɹ)d

Noun

bastard (countable and uncountable, plural bastards)

1. (dated) A person who was born out of wedlock, and hence often considered an illegitimate descendant.

   Synonyms: love child, born in the vestry, illegitimate; see also Thesaurus:bastard

   • 1965, The Big Valley:

     Jarrod: Who are you?
     Heath: Your father's bastard son.

2. A mongrel (biological cross between different breeds, groups or varieties).
3. (vulgar, offensive or derogatory, sometimes referring specifically to a man) A contemptible, inconsiderate, overly or arrogantly rude or spiteful person.

   Synonyms: son of a bitch, arsehole, asshole; see also Thesaurus:git, Thesaurus:jerk

   Some bastard stole my car while I was helping an injured person.

   • 1997, South Park television program

     "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" "You bastards!"

4. (especially Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, endearing or humorous) A man, a fellow, a male friend.

   lucky bastard

   funny bastard

   Get over here, you old bastard!

5. (often preceded by 'poor') A suffering person deemed deserving of compassion.

   Poor bastard, I feel so sorry for him.

   These poor bastards started out life probably in bad or broken homes.

6. (informal) A child who does not know their father.
7. (informal) Something extremely difficult or unpleasant to deal with.

   Life can be a real bastard.

8. A variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin, fake or counterfeit.

   The architecture was a kind of bastard, suggesting Gothic but not being true Gothic.

   • 1622, Francis Bacon, Bacon's History of the Reign of King Henry VII, Cambridge University Press, published 1902, page 62:

     There were also made good and politic laws that parliament, against usury, which is the bastard use of money...

9. A bastard file.
10. A sweet wine.
    • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 72, column 2:

      […] we ſhall haue all the world drinke browne & white baſtard.

11. A sword that is midway in length between a short-sword and a long sword; also bastard sword.
12. An inferior quality of soft brown sugar, obtained from syrups that have been boiled several times.
13. A large mould for straining sugar.
14. A writing paper of a particular size.

Usage notes

• (one born to unmarried parents): Not always regarded as a stigma (though it is one in e.g. canon law, prohibitive for clerical office without papal indult): Norman duke William, the Conqueror of England, is referred to in state documents as "William the Bastard"; a Burgundian prince was even officially styled Great Bastard of Burgundy.
• (male friend): "Bastard" used as a term of endearment is particularly characteristic of Australian English usage. See Appendix:Australian English terms for people for more.

Antonyms

• legitimate

Coordinate terms

• (illegitimate child): bastardess

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

bastard (comparative more bastard, superlative most bastard)

1. Of or like a bastard (illegitimate human descendant).
2. Of or like a bastard (bad person).
3. Of or like a mongrel, bastardized creature/cross.
4. Of abnormal, irregular or otherwise inferior qualities (size, shape etc).

   a bastard musket

   a bastard culverin

   1. Spurious, lacking authenticity: counterfeit, fake.
      • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). Of Self-conceit”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. , volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A J Valpy, , published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

        that bastard self-love which is so vicious in itself, and productive of so many vices

   2. (of a language) Imperfect; not spoken or written well or in the classical style; broken.
      • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

        Of what race could these people be? Their language was a bastard Arabic, and yet they were not Arabs; I was quite sure of that.

5. Used in the vernacular name of a species to indicate that it is similar in some way to another species, often (but not always) one of another genus.

   bastard gemsbok; bastard mahogany; bastard toadflax; bastard trumpeter

6. (UK, Ireland, vulgar) Very unpleasant.

   I've got a bastard headache.

7. (printing) Abbreviated, as the half title in a page preceding the full title page of a book.
8. (theater lighting) Consisting of one predominant color blended with small amounts of complementary color; used to replicate natural light because of their warmer appearance.

   A bastard orange gel produces predominantly orange light with undertones of blue.

Translations

Interjection

bastard!

1. (rare) Exclamation of strong dismay or strong sense of being upset.
   • 2001, Stephen King, “The Death of Jack Hamilton”, in Everything's Eventual, Simon and Schuster, published 2007, →ISBN, page 90:

     Jack says, “Oh! Bastard! I’m hit!” That bullet had to have come in the busted back window and how it missed Johnnie to hit Jack I don’t know.

   • 2004, Cecelia Ahern, PS, I Love You, Hyperion, →ISBN, page 7:

     “Yes, I’m hhhhowwwwwwcch!” she yelped as she stubbed her toe against the bedpost. “Shit, shit, fuck, bastard, shit, crap!”

   • 2006, Emily Franklin, Love from London, Penguin, →ISBN, page 212:

     “Isn’t she lovely?” Clem asks, hopefully rhetorically. “Oh, bastard. I’ve got to go—that’s my signal. […] ”

Translations

Verb

bastard (third-person singular simple present bastards, present participle bastarding, simple past and past participle bastarded)

1. (obsolete) To bastardize.
   • 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, , London: W Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

     After her husband's death she was matter of tragedy , having lived to see her brother beheaded , and her two sons deposed from the crown , bastarded in their blood

References

Further reading

• “bastard”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “bastard”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “mongrel”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Anagrams

• Barstad, batards, tabards

Catalan

Etymology

From Occitan bastard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Adjective

bastard (feminine bastarda, masculine plural bastards, feminine plural bastardes)

1. illegitimate (born out of wedlock)
2. adulterated

Derived terms

• bastardia

Noun

bastard m (plural bastards, feminine bastarda)

1. bastard (child born out of wedlock)

Further reading

• “bastard” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: ba‧s‧tard

Noun

bastard m anim

1. bastard, love child (person born to unmarried parents)

   Synonym: levoboček

2. bastard, mongrel (biological cross between different breeds, groups or varieties)
3. bastard, asshole

Declension

Further reading

• bastard in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• bastard in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

From Old French bastard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bastard/,
• IPA^(key): /bastar/,

Noun

bastard c (singular definite bastarden, plural indefinite bastarder)

1. crossbreed (an organism produced by mating of individuals of different varieties or breeds)

   Synonyms: hybrid, krydsning

2. mongrel (someone of mixed kind or uncertain origin, especially a dog)
3. (dated) bastard (person who was born out of wedlock)

Inflection

Irish

Alternative forms

• bastairt, bastart

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle English bastard, from Old French bastard.

Noun

bastard m (genitive singular bastaird, nominative plural bastaird)

1. bastard

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bastard”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bastard”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “bastard” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “bastard” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• bastarde, basterd, bastart

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman bastard; equivalent to bast (“illegitimacy”) +‎ -ard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbastard/, /ˈbastaːrd/, /ˈbastərd/

Noun

bastard (plural bastardes)

1. an illegitimate child, especially a noble one; a bastard
2. a kind of fortified wine, often with spices added
3. (rare) a heretic or sinner; one separated from one's deity
4. (rare) a dog that isn't purebred; a mutt or mongrel
5. (rare) a botanical tendril or offshoot

Derived terms

• bastardie

Descendants

• English: bastard
• Scots: bastart, bastert

References

• “bastā̆rd, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-03.

Adjective

bastard

1. coming not from wedlock, coming from bastardy; illegitimate
2. low-quality, inferior, imitation; of bad manufacture
3. (rare) not purebred; of mixed lineage
4. (rare) made using or incorporating fortified wine
5. (rare) wrong, erroneous, incorrect

Descendants

• English: bastard
• Scots: bastart, bastert

References

• “bastā̆rd, n. as adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-03.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• bastart

Etymology

From Old French bastard, from Late Latin bastardus.

Noun

bastard m (plural bastars, feminine singular bastarde, feminine plural bastardes)

1. bastard (child born outside of wedlock)

Adjective

bastard m (feminine singular bastarde, masculine plural bastars, feminine plural bastardes)

1. bastard

Descendants

• French: bâtard

Old French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin bastardus, of Germanic origin, possibly Frankish.

Noun

bastard oblique singular, m (oblique plural bastarz or bastartz, nominative singular bastarz or bastartz, nominative plural bastard)

1. bastard (person conceived to unmarried parents)
   • 12th Century, Unknown, Raoul de Cambrai:

     Vos savez bien qe je sui de bas lin, [e]t sui bastars

     You know well that I am of low birth, and I am a bastard

2. (derogatory, usually vocative) bastard (insult)

Adjective

bastard m (oblique and nominative feminine singular bastarde)

1. bastard (conceived by unmarried parents)

Declension

Descendants

• French: bâtard
• → Galician: bastardo
• → Middle Dutch: bastaert
  • Dutch: bastaard
    • → Indonesian: bastar
    • →? Saramaccan: bása
    • →? Sranan Tongo: basra
• → Middle English: bastard, bastarde, basterd, bastart
  • English: bastard
  • Scots: bastart, bastert

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

bastard

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from German Bastard or Italian bastardo, from Late Latin bastardus, from Frankish, possibly through Old French bastardus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbas.tart/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -astart
• Syllabification: bas‧tard

Noun

bastard m pers

1. (literary) bastard (person who was born out of wedlock, and hence often considered an illegitimate descendant)

   Synonym: bękart

Declension

Noun

bastard m animal

1. bastard, mongrel (biological cross between different breeds, groups, or varieties)

   Synonyms: hybryda, krzyżówka, mieszaniec

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

• bastard in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bastard in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian bastardo.

Noun

bastard m (plural bastarzi)

1. bastard

Declension

Swedish

Noun

bastard c

1. a bastard (biological cross between different breeds, groups, or varieties)
2. (dated, derogatory) a bastard (person born out of wedlock)

Declension

See also

• oäkting

References

• bastard in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• bastard in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• bastard in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)