Where does “bastard” come from?

bastard (Anglo-Norman) comes from Frankish bāst — marriage.

bastard (Anglo-Norman): illegitimate child; bastard

Definitions

  1. illegitimate child; bastard

Ancestry of “bastard”, step by step

bastard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Frankish bāst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frankishbāstmarriage

via Late Latin bastardus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinbastardus

Words derived from “bastard

Every word from Frankish bāst