Legitimate Definition
lə-jĭtə-mĭt
legitimated, legitimates, legitimating
adjective
Sanctioned by law or custom; lawful.
A legitimate claim.
Webster's New World
Conforming to or abiding by the law.
Webster's New World
Conceived or born of parents legally married to each other.
Webster's New World
Based on logical reasoning.
A legitimate deduction.
American Heritage
Justifiable or justified.
Webster's New World
verb
legitimated, legitimates, legitimating
To make legitimate, as:
American Heritage
Webster's New World
To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
- legitimize
- legitimatize
- legalize
- legitimise
- legitimatise
- decriminalise
- decriminalize
- legalise
Origin of Legitimate
-
Middle English legitimat born in wedlock from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus law-worthy past participle of lēgitimāre to make lawful from Latin lēgitimus legitimate from lēx lēg- law leg- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Medieval Latin legitimatus, past participle of legitimo (“make legal").
From Wiktionary
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to legitimate using the buttons below.