adulterine

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /əˈdʌltəraɪn/, X-SAMPA: /@"dVlt@raIn/
• (US) enPR: ə-dŭlʹtə-rīn, IPA: /əˈdʌltəraɪn/, X-SAMPA: /@"dVlt@raIn/ or enPR: ə-dŭlʹtə-rēn, IPA: /əˈdʌltəriːn/, X-SAMPA: /@"dVlt@ri:n/

Etymology

From Latin adulterinus

Adjective

adulterine (comparative more adulterine, superlative most adulterine)

1. Spurious; due to adulteration.
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.4.1.i:

     a knave apothecary, that administers the physick, and makes the medicine, may do infinite harm, by his old obsolete doses, adulterine druggs, bad mixtures, quid pro quo, &c.

2. Born of adultery.
3. Pertaining to adultery.
4. Illegal; unlicensed.
   • Adam Smith

     When any particular class of artificers or traders thought proper to act as a corporation without a charter, such were called adulterine guilds.

Noun

adulterine (plural adulterines)

1. (rare) One born of an adulterous union.

Usage notes

• An adulterine is not the same as a bastard, which is a person born out of wedlock.

See also

• bastard
• gandermooner
• uzzard
• wetewold

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Italian

Adjective

adulterine f

1. Feminine plural form of adulterino

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Latin

Adjective

adulterīne

1. vocative masculine singular of adulterīnus