legitimate

English

Etymology

From Middle English legitimat, legytymat, from Medieval Latin lēgitimatus, perfect passive participle of Latin lēgitimō (“make legal”), from Latin lēgitimus (“lawful”), originally "fixed by law, in line with the law," from Latin lēx (“law”). Originally "lawfully begotten".

The verb was derived from the adjective by conversion.

Pronunciation
  • (adjective, noun) IPA(key): /lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət/, /ləˈdʒɪtɪmət/
  • (verb) IPA(key): /ləˈdʒɪtɪmeɪt/

Adjective

legitimate (comparative more legitimate, superlative most legitimate)

  1. In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements; lawful.
    • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎:
      Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez.
  2. Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.
    legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard or method
    • (Can we date this quote?) Macaulay
      Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic.
  3. Authentic, real, genuine.
    legitimate poems of Chaucer; legitimate inscriptions
  4. Lawfully begotten, i.e., born to a legally married couple. [from mid-14th century]
  5. Relating to hereditary rights.

Synonyms
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Antonyms

Translations
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Noun

legitimate (plural legitimates)

  1. A person born to a legally married couple.
    • 1831, Alexander Scott Withers, Chronicles of Border Warfare:
      But should a “holy alliance of legitimates” extinguish it, it will be but for a season.
    • 1898, Sydney George Fisher, The True Benjamin Franklin:
      This extraordinarily mixed family of legitimates and illegitimates seems to have maintained a certain kind of harmony.
    • 1830, William Hone, Pamphlets and Parodies on Political Subjects:
      His overweening pride received another shock through his new friends the legitimates.

Antonyms

Verb

legitimate (third-person singular simple present legitimates, present participle legitimating, simple past and past participle legitimated)

  1. (transitive) To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means. [from 1590]

Usage notes
  • Forms of legitimize are about twice as common as forms of the verb legitimate in the US.
  • Forms of legitimate are somewhat more common than the forms of the verbs legitimize and legitimise (combined) in the UK.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Further reading
  • “legitimate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
  • legitimate at OneLook Dictionary Search

Latin

Adjective

lēgitimate

  1. vocative masculine singular of lēgitimatus
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