noun
Etymology: bar (I)
1. : a supposed heraldic charge widely believed to be a mark of bastardy
2. : the fact or condition of being of illegitimate birth
started with the initial handicap of the bar sinister — G.D.Brown
3. : an enduring stigma, stain, or reproach (as of improper conduct or irregular status)
the loyalty determinations presented a special situation involving the imposition of a bar sinister — N.L.Nathanson
a number of the great universities still ignore ecology or accord it the bar sinister — American Naturalist