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Glite Dictionary
bastardy proceeding

bastardy proceeding

9.9
A legal action to find a child's father and make him pay child support
  • noun
  • /ˈbæstərdi prɪˈsiːdɪŋ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : proceso de paternidad
  • The court initiated a bastardy proceeding to establish paternity.

Examples

  • The court scheduled a bastardy proceeding after the mother filed a claim for child support.

  • A bastardy proceeding can result in the legal father being required to pay child support.

  • During the bastardy proceeding, several witnesses testified about the relationship between the parties.

  • Many families face challenges during a bastardy proceeding.

  • The court scheduled a bastardy proceeding to determine the child's paternity and ensure financial support from the father.

  • During the bastardy proceeding, the judge reviewed evidence to establish the biological relationship between the child and the alleged father.

  • A bastardy proceeding is a necessary step for single mothers seeking support and recognition for their children born out of wedlock.

Synonyms

paternity suit
vsbastardy proceeding
  • Formal
4 6.0

A court case to decide who is a child's father and get child support

is the same legal action but uses a different legal term

Surface Forms

bastardy proceeding singular
bastardy proceedings plural

Morphology

bastardy + proceeding

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'bastardy' (the state of being born out of wedlock) with 'proceeding' (a court action): it denotes a court action concerning bastardy/paternity. Although somewhat formal/legal and relatively rare, the noun+noun composition follows regular semantic composition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Bastardy proceeding comes from old courts that dealt with a child born outside marriage and tried to find who the father was. These hearings decided who was the 'father' and who should pay 'child support', so the name refers to the legal process of proving paternity and arranging help for the child.