adulterine
/ə'dʌltərain/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Conceived in adultery: Refers to a child born as a result of an adulterous relationship.
- Illegitimate or spurious: Describes something that is not genuine, legally invalid, or improperly created.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The historical records mentioned an adulterine child who could not inherit the title.
- The court declared the will adulterine due to evidence of forgery.
Advanced Usage
- Legal/Historical Context: Often used in historical or legal texts to describe offspring or items of questionable legitimacy.
- The king's adulterine son was barred from the line of succession.
- Figurative Use: Can describe something counterfeit or not properly authorized.
- The scholar argued that the document was an adulterine version of the original treaty.
Variants and Related Words
- Adulterous (adj): Characterized by or involved in adultery.
- He was accused of adulterous behavior.
- Adultery (n): Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse.
- Adultery was considered a grave offense.
Synonyms
- Illegitimate: Not authorized by law; born to parents not legally married.
- Spurious: Not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
- Bastard (archaic, now often offensive): An old term for a child born out of wedlock.
Antonyms
- Legitimate: Conforming to the law or rules; born of parents legally married.
- Genuine: Truly what something is said to be; authentic.
Notes on Usage
- The term adulterine is formal and now somewhat archaic. In modern legal and everyday contexts, terms like illegitimate or born out of wedlock are more commonly used to describe a child's status.
- When describing counterfeit items, words like forged, fake, or spurious are more frequent in contemporary English.
Adjective
- conceived in adultery