What does adulterine mean?
Adulterine is a formal adjective describing something that arises from adultery, most commonly applied to a child born when one of the parents was married to another person. In this sense it is narrower than 'illegitimate': a child born to unmarried parents is illegitimate but not strictly adulterine. The term appears chiefly in historical, legal, and genealogical writing — for example, in discussions of canon law, royal succession, and inheritance disputes in medieval and early modern Europe, where an adulterine birth could complicate claims to property or titles. Beyond its application to offspring, it can describe anything connected with or characteristic of adultery. Today the word is rare in everyday speech and reads as distinctly formal or archaic; writers typically prefer neutral phrasing such as 'born of an extramarital relationship.' Its precise legal sense, however, makes it valuable in scholarly contexts where the exact circumstances of a birth matter.
Born of parents one of whom was married to another person at the time of the birth; resulting from adultery.
"The court examined whether the adulterine child had any claim to the estate."
Chiefly used in historical and legal contexts.
Relating to or characterized by adultery.
"The scandal involved what contemporaries called an adulterine liaison within the royal household."
In medieval England, an 'adulterine castle' was one built without royal permission — the word's legal reach once extended even to unauthorized fortresses.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adulterine
Adulterine derives from the Latin adjective adulterinus, formed from adulter, meaning 'adulterer,' which in turn traces to the verb adulterare, 'to corrupt or defile.' English borrowed the term in the early modern period, retaining both its legal sense concerning children born of adultery and its broader sense of relating to adultery. It shares its root with the related English words adultery, adulterate, adulterer, and adulteress, all descending from the same Latin stock.
How adulterine is actually used
A formal, largely historical and legal term, now rare outside discussions of canon law, inheritance history, and genealogy. It carries a technical rather than insulting connotation, though modern usage avoids it in favor of neutral phrasing.
Easily confused with adulterine
Adulterated describes something made impure or diluted by adding inferior substances, while adulterine refers to offspring or matters arising from adultery.