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nothos, pl. nothoi · Lit. “a bastard.” In the classical period, Athenian citizenship was confined to those born of citizen parents on both sides. The child of an unmarried union between citizen and non-citizen was clearly illegitimate, and had rights neither of inheritance nor of citizenship. The status of the child of unmarried citizen parents is less clear: such a person was clearly a nothos without rights of inheritance, but it is disputed whether s/he was or was not a citizen. It is possible, though less certain, that the word nothos was used to describe the child of a mixed marriage even in those contexts (e.g. before 450 BCE) where such a marriage was legally permissible, even though such a child might have full rights to inheritance as well as to citizenship.

Greek: νόθος, νόθοι.

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