illegitimacy

[ il-i-jit-uh-muh-see ]

/ ˌɪl ɪˈdʒɪt ə mə si /

the state or quality of being illegitimate.

Origin of illegitimacy

First recorded in 1670–80; illegitim(ate) + -acy

Pheu Thai and smaller parties could still pass laws, but those could be subject to charges of “illegitimacy” later.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Toppled by ‘The Iron Triangle’ |Lennox Samuels |May 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They play to chords of resentment and cast a veneer of illegitimacy over actions and lives lived honorably.

Obama, Romney Tax Returns Unleash Worst Political Instincts |Zachary Karabell |April 13, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
But to deduce from this a fragility, if not illegitimacy, in the NTC makes no sense.

Stay the Course in Libya |Bernard-Henri Lévy |August 2, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
So, Holbrooke went to Kabul and blasted Karzai for the corruption, inefficiency, and illegitimacy of his government.

The Richard Holbrooke I Knew |Leslie H. Gelb |January 2, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Now, there were certainly some awkward circumstances in respect of this illegitimacy question.

Archibald Malmaison |Julian Hawthorne
There is also alleged to be sometimes an increase of illegitimacy in the neighborhood of training camps.

Applied Eugenics |Paul Popenoe and Roswell Hill Johnson
Illegitimacy however greatly deprecated morally has justified itself historically.

Race Improvement : or, Eugenics : a Little Book on a Great Subject |La Reine Helen Baker
In Scotland the mark of illegitimacy for the arms is the bordure compony, which is usually but not always indicative of the same.

A Complete Guide to Heraldry |Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
It is a safe general conclusion that ignorance of sexual laws is responsible for the great majority of cases of illegitimacy.

Sex-education |Maurice Alpheus Bigelow

illegitimacy

The condition of being born to unmarried parents. It was once considered a mark of disgrace but is generally more accepted now.