bastard
noun /ˈbɑːstəd/, /ˈbæstəd/
/ˈbæstərd/
- (taboo, slang) used to insult (= deliberately offend) somebody, especially a man, who has been rude, unpleasant or cruel
- He's a real bastard.
- You bastard! You've made her cry.
- He's a complete bastard.
- Your boss is a bit of a bastard, isn't he?
- (British English, slang) a word that some people use about or to somebody, especially a man, who they feel very jealous of or sorry for
- What a lucky bastard!
- You poor bastard!
- (British English, slang) used about something that causes difficulties or problems
- It's a bastard of a problem.
- (old-fashioned, disapproving) a person whose parents were not married to each other when he or she was born
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from medieval Latin bastardus, probably from bastum ‘packsaddle’, a horse's saddle used to support loads; compare with Old French fils de bast, literally ‘packsaddle son’ (i.e. the son of a mule driver who uses a packsaddle for a pillow and is gone by morning).