Legal

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: le=gal

CIDE DICTIONARY

Legal, 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. légal. Cf. Lie to be prostrate, Loyal, Leal.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  According to the law of works, as distinguished from free grace; or resting on works for salvation.  [1913 Webster]
•  Governed by the rules of law as distinguished from the rules of equity; as, legal estate; legal assets.  Bouvier. Burrill.  [1913 Webster]

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.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Legal, 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.

Idiom

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).

Derivative

legally adv.

Etymology

F l{eacute}gal or L legalis f. lex legis law: cf. LEAL, LOYAL

THESAURUS

Legal

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

ROGET THESAURUS

Legal

Permission

N permission, leave, allowance, sufferance, tolerance, toleration, liberty, law, license, concession, grace, indulgence, favor, dispensation, exemption, release, connivance, vouchsafement, authorization, warranty, accordance, admission, permit, warrant, brevet, precept, sanction, authority, firman, hukm, pass, passport, furlough, license, carte blanche, ticket of leave, grant, charter, patent, letters patent, permitting, permissive, indulgent, permitted, patent, chartered, permissible, allowable, lawful, legitimate, legal, legalized, licit, unforbid, unforbidden, unconditional, by leave, with leave, on leave, speciali gratia, under favor of, pace, ad libitum, by all means, yes, avec permissin, brevet d'invention.

Legality

N legality, legitimacy, legitimateness, legislature, law, code, corpus juris, constitution, pandect, charter, enactment, statute, rule, canon, ordinance, institution, regulation, bylaw, byelaw, decree, ordonnance, standing order, plebiscite, legal process, form, formula, formality, rite, arm of the law, habeas corpus, fieri facias, jurisprudence, nomology, legislation, codification, equity, common law, lex, lex nonscripta, law of nations, droit des gens, international law, jus gentium, jus civile, civil law, canon law, crown law, criminal law, statute law, ecclesiastical law, administrative law, lex mercatoria, constitutionalism, constitutionality, justice, court, tribunal, judge, lawyer, attorney, legal counsel, legal, legitimate, according to law, vested, constitutional, chartered, legalized, lawful, statutable, statutory, legislatorial, legislative, regulatory, regulated, legally, in the eye of the law, de jure, ignorantia legis neminem excusat, ignorance of the law is no excuse, where law ends tyranny begins.

Dueness

N due, dueness, right, privilege, prerogative, prescription, title, claim, pretension, demand, birthright, immunity, license, liberty, franchise, vested interest, vested right, sanction, authority, warranty, charter, warrant, constitution, tenure, bond, claimant, appellant, plaintiff, having a right to, entitled to, claiming, deserving, meriting, worthy of, privileged, allowed, sanctioned, warranted, authorized, ordained, prescribed, constitutional, chartered, enfranchised, prescriptive, presumptive, absolute, indefeasible, unalienable, inalienable, imprescriptible, inviolable, unimpeachable, unchallenged, sacrosanct, due to, merited, deserved, condign, richly deserved, allowable, lawful, licit, legitimate, legal, legalized, square, unexceptionable, right, equitable, due, en r gle, fit, fitting, correct, proper, meet, befitting, becoming, seemly, decorous, creditable, up to the mark, right as a trivet, just the thing, quite the thing, selon les r gles, duly, ex officio, de jure, by right, by divine right, jure divino, Dei gratia, in the name of, civis Romanus sum, +a chaque saint sa chandelle.