Legal Definitions - spurius

Definition: In Roman law, spurius refers to a bastard or an illegitimate child born out of unlawful intercourse. The plural form of spurius is spurii. It is also known as nothus, which means a child of base birth or false.

Example: If a child is born out of wedlock, they are considered spurius or nothus.

Explanation: If a child is born to parents who are not married or if the parents are not legally allowed to marry, the child is considered illegitimate or base-born. In Roman law, such children were referred to as spurius or nothus. The term spurius was used to denote a child born out of unlawful intercourse, while nothus was used to refer to an illegitimate child of any kind. If the mother of the child was a Roman citizen, the child would also be considered a Roman citizen.