spurious; not genuine; false: The architecture was bastard Gothic.
7.
of abnormal or irregular shape or size; of unusual make or proportions: bastard quartz; bastard mahogany.
8.
having the appearance of; resembling in some degree: a bastard Michelangelo; bastard emeralds.
9.
Printing. (of a character) not of the font in which it is used or 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 a polygynous marriage to a woman of lower status, a pagan tradition not sanctioned by the church; cf. OFris bost marriage < Gmc *bandstu-, a n. deriv. of IE *bhendh-bind; the traditional explanation of OF bastard as deriv. of fils de bast “child of a packsaddle” is doubtful on chronological and geographical grounds]
1223, "illegitimate child," from O.Fr., "child of a nobleman by a woman other than his wife," probably from fils de bast "packsaddle son," meaning a child conceived on an improvised bed (saddles often doubled as beds while traveling), with pejorative ending -art. Alternate possibly is that the word is from P.Gmc. *banstiz "barn," equally suggestive of low origin. Not always regarded as a stigma; the Conqueror is referred to in state documents as "William the Bastard." Figurative sense is from 1552; use as a vulgar term of abuse for a man is attested from 1830. Bastardize "debase" is from 1587.
fraudulent; having a misleading appearance [syn: bogus]
noun
1.
insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
2.
the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents
3.
derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin; "the architecture was a kind of bastard suggesting Gothic but not true Gothic"
Bant"ling\, n. [Prob. for bandling, from band, and meaning a child wrapped in swaddling bands; or cf. G. b["a]ntling a bastard, fr. bank bench. Cf. Bastard, n.] A young or small child; an infant. [Slightly contemptuous or depreciatory.] In what out of the way corners genius produces her bantlings. --W. Irving.
Bas"tard\, n. [OF. bastard, bastart, F. b?tard, prob. fr. OF. bast, F. b?t, a packsaddle used as a bed by the muleteers (fr. LL. bastum) + -ard. OF. fils de bast son of the packsaddle; as the muleteers were accustomed to use their saddles for beds in the inns. See Cervantes, "Don Quixote," chap. 16; and cf.G. bankert, fr. bank bench.]1. A "natural" child; a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union. Note: By the civil and canon laws, and by the laws of many of the United States, a bastard becomes a legitimate child by the intermarriage of the parents at any subsequent time. But by those of England, and of some states of the United States, a child, to be legitimate, must at least be born after the lawful marriage. --Kent. Blackstone. 2. (Sugar Refining) (a) An inferior quality of soft brown sugar, obtained from the sirups that ? already had several boilings. (b) A large size of mold, in which sugar is drained. 3. A sweet Spanish wine like muscadel in flavor. Brown bastard is your only drink. --Shak. 4. A writing paper of a particular size. See Paper.
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