legitimacy
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of legitimacy
First recorded in 1685–95; legitim(ate) + -acy
Explanation
The noun legitimacy means authenticity. If you found an old copy of the Gettysburg Address in your grandmother's attic, you'd have to question its legitimacy when you realized it was written on the back of a car advertisement. Legitimacy comes from the Latin verb legitimare, which means lawful. Legitimacy, then, refers to something that is legal because it meets the specific requirements of the law. The legitimacy of various countries' presidential elections is often discussed, with monitors keeping track of the voting procedures to make sure they follow all the necessary rules.
Vocabulary lists containing legitimacy
Power Suffix: -acy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Legitimacy in governance, acceptance of one’s right to rule by the people being ruled.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
Legitimacy is a core element in democracy: the belief of the people in the institutions of government and their power to set rules and gain compliance.
From Salon • Jul. 13, 2020
Legitimacy is no obstacle—CBS added the dubiously pedigreed Hollywood Film Awards, and NBC locked up the perennially questioned Golden Globes, installing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as repeat hosts.
From Forbes • Aug. 30, 2014
Legitimacy, it turns out, is not conferred from the outside.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2012
The Knights, at their entrance into the Order, must prove their Legitimacy, as well as Nobility, by four Descents, and are termed Chevaliers by Right.
From The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 3 Who was a sailor, a soldier, a merchant, a spy, a slave among the moors... by Sala, George Augustus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
