bastardize

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled bastardised

US /ˈbæstɚˌdaɪz/ UK /ˈbɑːstədaɪz/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to corrupt or debase by adding impure or inferior elements

Purists claim the remake bastardized the original score.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to corrupt or debase by... corrupt debase degrade adulterate vitiate pervert cheapen

Opposites

purify refine ennoble

Word family

Derived forms bastardization

Related forms bastardbastardybastardly

Etymology

From bastard plus the verb suffix -ize; bastard is from Old French bastard, probably from bast ('packsaddle') plus -ard.

bastard Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# bastardize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbæstɚˌdaɪz/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɑːstədaɪz/

## Meanings
1. to corrupt or debase by adding impure or inferior elements

## Examples
- Purists claim the remake bastardized the original score.

## Synonyms
- corrupt
- debase
- degrade
- adulterate
- vitiate
- pervert
- cheapen

## Antonyms
- purify
- refine
- ennoble

## Derived Forms
- bastardization

## Related Forms
- bastard
- bastardy
- bastardly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bastard

## Etymology
From bastard plus the verb suffix -ize; bastard is from Old French bastard, probably from bast ('packsaddle') plus -ard.

## AI Etymology
bastardize comes from bastard plus the verb suffix -ize; bastard is from Old French bastard, probably from bast ('packsaddle') plus -ard. Morphologically, the word is transparent: -ize and -ard is attached to the older base named in the history, so the modern form packages an inherited or borrowed stem inside a later English derivative. In modern use, the verb sense is "to corrupt or debase by adding impure or inferior elements", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as bastard, bastardy, bastardly and derivatives such as bastardization, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old French bastard, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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