il•le•git•i•mate
Pronunciation: (adj., n.il"i-jit'u-mitv.il"i-jit'u-māt"), [key]
— adj., n., v., -mat•ed, -mat•ing.
—adj.
- born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock: an illegitimate child.
- not legitimate; not sanctioned by law or custom.
- unlawful; illegal: an illegitimate action.
- irregular; not in good usage.
- not in accordance with the principles of valid inference.
- (formerly, in London)
- of or pertaining to stage plays in which musical numbers were inserted because of laws that gave only a few theaters the exclusive right to produce straight dramas.
- acting in or producing such productions.
—n.
- a person recognized or looked upon as illegitimate.
—v.t.
- to declare illegitimate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.