adulterine
American Heritage Dictionary:
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a·dul·ter·ine
(ə-dŭl'tə-rīn', -rēn') 
adj.
adj.
- Characterized by adulteration; spurious.
- Unauthorized by law; illegal.
- Born of adultery: adulterine offspring.
[Latin adulterīnus, from adulter, adulterer, perhaps back-formation from adulterāre, to pollute. See adulterate.]
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In the Middle Ages in Britain, said of a castle that was crenelated without a license to erect battlements. Such licenses were granted by the reigning monarch in exchange for a cash payment from the castle’s owner.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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