illegitimate
UK[ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtɪmət]US[ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtɪmət]
adj
not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards or rules.
adj
(of a child) born to parents not lawfully married to each other.
Morpheme Breakdown
il
legitim
ate
il
not
legitim
lawful
ate
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word illegitimate is built upon the latin adjective 'legitimus', which means "lawful" and derives from 'lex' (law). the negative prefix 'il-', a variant of 'in-', is attached to negate the core meaning, resulting in "not lawful". the suffix '-ate' is then added to form the adjective. thus, the literal construction "not lawful" directly informs its modern meanings, which range from describing something unauthorized or illegal to the specific legal status of a child born outside of marriage.
Analysis
Structure: il (not) + legitim (lawful) + ate (adjective suffix)
il: latin origin, a prefix meaning "not" or "without", assimilated form of 'in-' before 'l'.
legitim: from latin 'legitimus', meaning lawful, from 'lex, legis' (law).
ate: a suffix of latin origin used to form adjectives meaning "having the quality of".
Examples
the court ruled the contract was illegitimate and therefore void.
he was criticized for his illegitimate use of company funds.
in earlier centuries, illegitimate children often had no right to inheritance.