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Webster 1913 Edition

Illegitimate

Ilˊle-git′i-mate

,
Adj.
1.
Not according to law; not regular or authorized; unlawful; improper.
2.
Unlawfully begotten; born out of wedlock; bastard;
as, an
illegitimate
child
.
3.
Not legitimately deduced or inferred; illogical;
as, an
illegitimate
inference
.
4.
Not authorized by good usage; not genuine; spurious;
as, an
illegitimate
word
.
Illegitimate fertilization
, or
Illegitimate union
(Bot.)
,
the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.
Darwin.

Ilˊle-git′i-mate

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Illegitimated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Illegitimating
.]
To render illegitimate; to declare or prove to be born out of wedlock; to bastardize; to illegitimatize.
The marriage should only be dissolved for the future, without
illegitimating
the issue.
Bp. Burnet.

Webster 1828 Edition

Illegitimate

ILLEGIT'IMATE

,
Adj.
[See Legitimate.]
1.
Unlawfully begotten; born out of wedlock; spurious; as an illegitimate son or daughter.
2.
Unlawful; contrary to law.
3.
Not genuine; not of genuine origin; as an illegitimate inference.
4.
Not authorized by good usage; as an illegitimate word.

ILLEGIT'IMATE

,
Verb.
T.
To render illegitimate; to prove to be born out of wedlock; to bastardize.

Definition 2024

illegitimate

illegitimate

English

Adjective

illegitimate ‎(comparative more illegitimate, superlative most illegitimate)

  1. Illegal; against the law.
  2. Born to unmarried parents.
    an illegitimate child
  3. Illogical; incorrectly deduced.
    an illegitimate inference
  4. Not authorized by good usage; not genuine; spurious.
    an illegitimate word
  5. (botany) Involving the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.
    illegitimate union; illegitimate fertilization
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Darwin to this entry?)

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:illegitimate

Antonyms

Translations

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Pronunciation

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