lawfully-begotten
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Born in wedlock; enjoying full filial rights: The term "lawfully-begotten" describes a person who is born to parents who are legally married to each other at the time of the birth. This status historically and legally confers the full rights of a child within that family and society.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The estate was inherited solely by the lawfully-begotten son. (The property was passed down only to the son born within a legal marriage.)
- In the old testament, the blessing was often reserved for the lawfully-begotten heir. (The special favor was frequently kept for the heir born to married parents.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is primarily found in historical, religious, or formal legal contexts, especially in older texts dealing with inheritance, lineage, and legitimacy. It is less common in modern everyday language.
- It can be used attributively (before a noun) to specify the legal status of a child's birth in relation to rights and privileges.
Variants and Related Words
- Legitimate (adj): This is the more common modern synonym, meaning "conforming to the law or rules" and, in the context of children, "born of parents legally married to each other."
- He was the legitimate heir to the throne.
- Lawful issue (n, legal phrase): A formal term for children born within a lawful marriage.
- The will specified that the property should go to his lawful issue.
Synonyms
- Legitimate
- Born in wedlock
Antonyms
- Illegitimate: Born to parents not legally married to each other.
- Bastard (archaic/offensive): An old term for a child born out of wedlock.
Notes on Usage
- The term "lawfully-begotten" is archaic and highly formal. In contemporary legal and social discussions, the term "legitimate" or the phrase "born in wedlock" is preferred.
- Its use today might be intentional to evoke a historical, literary, or very strict legal tone.
Adjective
- born in wedlock; enjoying full filial rights