The term bastard was adopted in the mid-fourteenth century from Old French, originally referring to a recognized illegitimate child of a nobleman. Over time, it broadened to include any child born out of wedlock, eventually taking on negative connotations such as “terrible person” or “mongrel.” Interestingly, in the twentieth century, a more casual usage emerged, with phrases like lucky bastard or poor bastard to refer to a male friend. The Old French origin likely stems from the phrase fils de bast, meaning “packsaddle son” (as bastards were believed to be conceived on packsaddles), combined with the suffix -ard. The term bast may have roots in a Latin word meaning “carry.”
