Tools: Learn New Words | Secure Password Generator | Startup Tools | PDF Generator

Bar Sinister (Noun)

The status of being born to parents who were not married.

Nouns denoting natural processes.

The young nobleman's claim to the throne was disputed due to the bar sinister of his birth, as his parents had not been married at the time of his conception.
In medieval times, a child born with a bar sinister was often shunned by society and denied inheritance rights.
The aristocrat's family tree was marred by a bar sinister, which had been a source of shame for generations.
Despite his illustrious career, the politician's opponents sought to discredit him by highlighting the bar sinister of his birth.
In some cultures, a bar sinister was seen as a curse that could only be lifted through marriage or other forms of social redemption.

A mark of bastardy; lines from top right to bottom left.

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.

The illegitimate son's family crest bore a bar sinister, a painful reminder of his questionable heritage.
In heraldry, a bar sinister is a diagonal line that signifies the bearer is born out of wedlock.
A narrow, diagonal stripe from top right to bottom left, the bar sinister distinguished the coat of arms of the bastard child.
As she researched her family tree, she discovered that a bar sinister appeared on the coat of arms of her ancestor, revealing a centuries-old secret.
In the aristocratic family's history, the lone instance of a bar sinister appeared on the crest of a child born to the lord and a woman not his wife.