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.

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