Adjacent Words

Legal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LE'GAL, a. [L. legalis, from lex, legis, law.]
1. According to law; in conformity with law; as a legal standard or test; a legal procedure.
2. Lawful; permitted by law; as a legal trade. Anything is legal which the laws do not forbid.
3. According to the law of works, as distinguished from free grace; or resting on works for salvation.
4. Pertaining to law; created by law.
The exception must be confined to legal crimes.
So we use the phrase, criminal law.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules [ant: illegal]
2: of or relating to jurisprudence; "legal loophole"
3: having legal efficacy or force; "a sound title to the property" [syn: legal, sound, effectual]
4: relating to or characteristic of the profession of law; "the legal profession"
5: allowed by official rules; "a legal pass receiver"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Anglo-French, from Latin legalis, from leg-, lex law Date: circa 1500 1. of or relating to law 2. a. deriving authority from or founded on law ; de jure b. having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact ; titular <a corporation is a legal but not a real person> c. established by law; especially statutory 3. conforming to or permitted by law or established rules 4. recognized or made effective by a court of law as distinguished from a court of equity 5. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or of one of its members 6. created by the constructions of the law <a legal fiction> Synonyms: see lawful • legally adverb II. noun Date: 1526 one that conforms to rules or the law

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 of or based on law; concerned with law; falling within the province of law. 2 appointed or required by law. 3 permitted by law, lawful. 4 recognized by law, as distinct from equity. 5 Theol. a of the Mosaic law. b of salvation by works rather than by faith. Phrases and idioms: legal aid payment from public funds allowed, in cases of need, to help pay for legal advice or proceedings. legal fiction an assertion accepted as true (though probably fictitious) to achieve a useful purpose, esp. in legal matters. legal holiday US a public holiday established by law. legal proceedings see PROCEEDING. legal separation see SEPARATION. legal tender currency that cannot legally be refused in payment of a debt (usu. up to a limited amount for coins not made of gold). Derivatives: legally adv. Etymology: F légal or L legalis f. lex legis law: cf. LEAL, LOYAL

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Legal Le"gal (l[=e]"gal), a. [L. legalis, fr. lex, legis, law; prob. orig., that which lies or is fixed (cf. L. lectus bed), and if so akin to E. lie, law: cf. F. l['e]gal. Cf. Lie to be prostrate, Loyal, Leal.] 1. Created by, permitted by, in conformity with, or relating to, law; as, a legal obligation; a legal standard or test; a legal procedure; a legal claim; a legal trade; anything is legal which the laws do not forbid. 2. (Theol.) (a) According to the law of works, as distinguished from free grace; or resting on works for salvation. (b) According to the old or Mosaic dispensation; in accordance with the law of Moses. 3. (Law) Governed by the rules of law as distinguished from the rules of equity; as, legal estate; legal assets. --Bouvier. --Burrill. Legal cap. See under Cap. Legal tender. (a) The act of tendering in the performance of a contract or satisfaction of a claim that which the law prescribes or permits, and at such time and place as the law prescribes or permits. (b) That currency, or money, which the law authorizes a debtor to tender and requires a creditor to receive. It differs in different countries. Syn: Lawful; constitutional; legitimate; licit; authorized. See Lawful.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Legal is used to describe things that relate to the law. He vowed to take legal action. ...the British legal system... I sought legal advice on this. ADJ: ADJ n • legally There are reasons to doubt that a second trial is morally, legally or politically justified... It could be a bit problematic, legally speaking. ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj, ADV with cl 2. An action or situation that is legal is allowed or required by law. What I did was perfectly legal. ...drivers who have more than the legal limit of alcohol. ? illegal ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Lawful, legitimate, legalized, authorized or sanctioned (by law), according to law.

Moby Thesaurus

acceptable, actionable, admissible, allowable, applicable, authoritative, authorized, balanced, binding, booked, cogent, competent, consistent, constitutional, defensible, deserved, documented, down, due, enrolled, entered, equitable, even, evenhanded, fair, fair and square, filed, fit, forensic, good, indexed, inscribed, judicial, judiciary, juridical, just, justiciable, justifiable, justified, kosher, lawful, lawmaking, legislative, legit, legitimate, legitimized, level, licit, logged, logical, meet, meet and right, merited, minuted, of record, official, on file, on record, on the books, permissible, permitted, posted, proper, recorded, registered, right, right and proper, rightful, sanctionable, sanctioned, self-consistent, solid, sound, square, statutory, substantial, sufficient, valid, warrantable, warranted, weighty, well-founded, well-grounded, within the law, written down