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legal

[lee-guhl]
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adjective
  1. permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
  2. of or relating to law; connected with the law or its administration: the legal profession.
  3. appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.
  4. recognized by law rather than by equity.
  5. of, relating to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers: a legal mind.
  6. Theology.
    1. of or relating to the Mosaic Law.
    2. of or relating to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.
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noun
  1. a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.
  2. an alien who has entered a country legally.
  3. a person whose status is protected by law.
  4. a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.
  5. a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.
  6. legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.
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Origin of legal

1490–1500; < Latin lēgālis of the law, equivalent to lēg- (stem of lēx) law + -ālis -al1
Related formsle·gal·ly, adverbpost·le·gal, adjectivepre·le·gal, adjectivepseu·do·le·gal, adjectivequa·si-le·gal, adjectivequa·si-le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal, adjectiveun·le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal·ness, noun

Synonyms

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3. licit, legitimate, sanctioned.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

justly, lawfully, legitimately, constitutionally, authorized, rightfully, warranted, admittedly, conceded, juridically, permissibly, judicially

Examples from the Web for legally

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • She was legally a wife, and could only be separated from him through convicted shame.

    Malbone

    Thomas Wentworth Higginson

  • You see, he wanted to get my money illegally, but instead I managed to get his legally.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • He took no notice of me, and I got no assistance; perhaps I was legally entitled to none.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • Legally, we should have difficulty in getting at you, but it can be done.

    Roden's Corner

    Henry Seton Merriman

  • The father of Moses and Aaron married his father's sister, who was not legally his relation.

    The Truth About Woman

    C. Gasquoine Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for legally

legal

adjective
  1. established by or founded upon law; lawful
  2. of or relating to law
  3. recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity
  4. relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
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Derived Formslegally, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Latin lēgālis, from lēx law
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for legally

legal

adj.

mid-15c. "of or pertaining to the law," from Middle French légal or directly from Latin legalis "legal, pertaining to the law," from lex (genitive legis) "law," possibly related to legere "to gather," on notion of "a collection of rules" (see lecture (n.)).

Sense of "permitted by law" is from 1640s. Related: Legally. The Old French form was leial, loial (see leal, loyal). Legal tender is from 1740.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper