bar sinister

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bar sinister

A bar sinister is sometimes used in heraldry to denote a family's illegitimate line.

Definition

Noun: 1. A heraldic charge: In heraldry, a diagonal band (a "bend") running from the top right (dexter chief) to the bottom left (sinister base) of a shield. Historically, this was sometimes, though not consistently, used to indicate illegitimacy or a "barrier" to direct inheritance. 2. The state of illegitimacy; bastardy: The condition of being born to parents who were not married to each other. This meaning derives from the heraldic usage.

Usage Notes
  • The term is primarily historical and literary. In modern English, the terms "illegitimacy" or "born out of wedlock" are preferred for the second meaning.
  • In correct heraldic terminology, the diagonal band itself is called a bend sinister. The phrase "bar sinister" is a common misnomer popularized by 19th-century novelists; a "bar" in heraldry is a horizontal band.
Examples
  • Historical/Literary Context:
    • The family crest was defaced with a bar sinister, a silent testament to the disputed lineage.
    • He bore the bar sinister, a social stigma that closed many doors to him in polite society.
Advanced Usage
  • The term can be used metaphorically to indicate a perceived flaw, stain, or obstacle to acceptance.
    • In that exclusive club, a state-school education was seen as a bar sinister.
Variants and Related Words
  • Bend sinister: The correct heraldic term for the diagonal band.
  • Batton sinister: A narrower version of a bend sinister.
  • Illegitimacy: The modern, neutral term for the status.
Synonyms
  • (For meaning 2): Illegitimacy, bastardy.
Idioms and Related Phrases
  • Born on the wrong side of the blanket: A euphemistic idiom with a similar meaning to the second definition of "bar sinister."
    • Rumors suggested the duke's favorite attendant was born on the wrong side of the blanket.
bar sinister

A bar sinister is sometimes used in heraldry to denote a family's illegitimate line.

Noun
  1. a mark of bastardy; lines from top right to bottom left
  2. the status of being born to parents who were not married

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