abâtardir

== French == === Etymology === a- + bâtard (“bastard”) + -ir, originally "to bastardize, to make to lose racial characteristics" === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.ba.taʁ.diʁ/ ~ /a.bɑ.taʁ.diʁ/ === Verb === abâtardir to cause something's qualities or defining characteristics to degenerate; to defile or degrade; to bastardize 1580, Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Book I, CHapter 26 (modernized spelling), translated by Charles Cotton: 2005, Lloyd Bradley, Bass culture: quand le reggae était roi, translated by Manuel Rabasse, Allia, p. 366, (pronominal) to degrade; to degenerate; to become bastardized 1995, Léon Dion, "Propos désabusés d'un fédéraliste fatigué," in C.E.S. Franks & John Meisel (eds.), Canada's century : governance in a maturing society : essays in honour of John Meisel, McGill-Queen's University Press, p. 95, ==== Usage notes ==== The verb is most frequently used in its participial or pronominal forms, and now rarely in its transitive form. Very commonly used to refer to language or culture. ==== Conjugation ==== This is a regular verb of the second conjugation, like finir, choisir, and most other verbs with infinitives ending in -ir. One salient feature of this conjugation is the repeated appearance of the infix -iss-. This is a regular verb of the second conjugation, like finir, choisir, and most other verbs with infinitives ending in -ir. One salient feature of this conjugation is the repeated appearance of the infix -iss-. ==== Derived terms ==== abâtardi abâtardissement === Further reading === “abâtardir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012