Definitions for Legal
ˈli gəlle·gal

Princeton's WordNet(3.62 / 13 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legaladjective

   established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules

2. legaladjective

   of or relating to jurisprudence

   "legal loophole"

3. legal, sound, effectualadjective

   having legal efficacy or force

   "a sound title to the property"

4. legaladjective

   relating to or characteristic of the profession of law

   "the legal profession"

5. legaladjective

   allowed by official rules

   "a legal pass receiver"

Wiktionary(4.00 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legalnoun

   Paper in sheets 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm).

2. legaladjective

   Relating to the law or to lawyers, as in legal profession.

3. legaladjective

   Having its basis in the law, such as legal precedent.

4. legaladjective

   Being allowed or prescribed by law, such as a legal motion.

5. legaladjective

   Above the age of consent, most often concerning attractive but young adolescent girls.

6. Etymology: From legalis, from lex.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. LEGALadjective

   Etymology: legal, French; leges, Latin.

   1. Done or conceived according to law.

   Whatsoever was before, was before time of memory; and what is since is, in a legal sense, within the time of memory. Matthew Hale, Hist. of the Common Law of England.

   2. Lawful; not contrary to law.

   His merits
   To save them, not their own, though legal, works. John Milton.

Wikipedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legal

   Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the art of justice. State-enforced laws can be made by a group legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes; by the executive through decrees and regulations; or established by judges through precedent, usually in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals may create legally binding contracts, including arbitration agreements that adopt alternative ways of resolving disputes to standard court litigation. The creation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution, written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people. Legal systems vary between jurisdictions, with their differences analysed in comparative law. In civil law jurisdictions, a legislature or other central body codifies and consolidates the law. In common law systems, judges may make binding case law through precedent, although on occasion this may be overturned by a higher court or the legislature. Historically, religious law has influenced secular matters and is, as of the 21st century, still in use in some religious communities. Sharia law based on Islamic principles is used as the primary legal system in several countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia.The scope of law can be divided into two domains. Public law concerns government and society, including constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal law. Private law deals with legal disputes between individuals and/or organisations in areas such as contracts, property, torts/delicts and commercial law. This distinction is stronger in civil law countries, particularly those with a separate system of administrative courts; by contrast, the public-private law divide is less pronounced in common law jurisdictions.Law provides a source of scholarly inquiry into legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology. Law also raises important and complex issues concerning equality, fairness, and justice.

Webster Dictionary(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Legaladjective

   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. Legaladjective

   according to the law of works, as distinguished from free grace; or resting on works for salvation

3. Legaladjective

   according to the old or Mosaic dispensation; in accordance with the law of Moses

4. Legaladjective

   governed by the rules of law as distinguished from the rules of equity; as, legal estate; legal assets

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Legal

   lē′gal, adj. pertaining to, or according to, law: lawful: created by law: (theol.) according to the Mosaic law or dispensation.—n. Lē′galisātion.—v.t. Lē′galise, to make legal or lawful: to authorise: to sanction.—ns. Lē′galism, strict adherence to law: (theol.) the doctrine that salvation depends on strict adherence to the law, as distinguished from the doctrine of salvation by grace: the tendency to observe the letter rather than the spirit of religious law; Lē′galist; Legal′ity.—adv. Lē′gally.—Legal tender, that which can be lawfully used in paying a debt. [Fr.,—L. legalis—lex, legis, law.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legal

   Loosely used to mean ‘in accordance with all the relevant rules’, esp. in connection with some set of constraints defined by software. “The older =+ alternate for += is no longer legal syntax in ANSI C.” “This parser processes each line of legal input the moment it sees the trailing linefeed.” Hackers often model their work as a sort of game played with the environment in which the objective is to maneuver through the thicket of ‘natural laws’ to achieve a desired objective. Their use of legal is flavored as much by this game-playing sense as by the more conventional one having to do with courts and lawyers. Compare language lawyer, legalese.

Rap Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legal

   Thoughts On Stem Cell Research This is a very 'hot button' issue that keeps arising in the face of politicians everywhere in the country. What if anything should the government involve itself in for the issues of stem cell research? How far should the government press into the fields of medical science research? Should the government interfere at all, or stand back and come up with laws to handle the consequences of such research? It comes into question, how many ordinary Americans really know and understand what stem cell research is, how it can effect our lives, and what does it have the ability to do in the future? With topics such as abortion being very hot and causing pressures on all sides, it only seems natural that stem cell research should cause just as much controversy. Many supporters argue that the research gathered will be able to save millions of lives, while those opposing the research all argue that they are killing thousands of innocent children in the process. This brings the question, where do the embryos come from? The majority of the embryos used in the research come from couples that have donated them, following a treatment for infertility; there are often 10 or more embryos left over after such procedures, which can be put to use in the laboratory environment. The options for those embryos are limited; they can be preserved, adopted to a needy couple, destroyed, or donated to medical research. The embryos are only a few mere days past conception when they are frozen, and are unable to sustain life in any form on their own. From a legal standpoint, they are not living humans, and are not an infant since legally an embryo becomes an infant once the first breath of air is taken. This leaves the questions of who has the right to determine what can happen to them. The embryos are the building blocks of people, yet, they have no rights themselves. Whom do they belong to? Who is responsible for ensuring they are taken care of? Many consider the embryos being used in research as the same category as murder. Is it actually murder when the child is never born, and is only conceived in a test tube? Who should really make the decision about how these embryos should be handled? The embryos themselves are rich in stem cells, which scientists have said can help cure some of the worst diseases and conditions in the world. This makes the concept very tempting, but is this dabbling in aspects of science that shouldn't be used? Should humans really be trying to recreate whole body parts and organs from the stem cells in order to help a few, but at the expense of a few other lives? The current administration has tried to place a ban on this research and block the use of the embryos. This has upset many supporters who feel this research is vital to the survival of the human race, while those who digress the ideas are upset that is has not been banned fully yet. Where is the better side to stand? Should we allow the government to meddle into the scientific aspects of medicine, or should we continue the research to save thousands, or millions of lives? Immigration Lawyers In London Divorce Lawyers In London Lawyer In London London Services

Editors Contribution(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legal

   Relating to accurate and specific law or legislation.

   The legal professionals were all attentive, focused and just.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on December 20, 2019  

Matched Categories

1. • Sport

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Legal' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #735

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Legal' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1602

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Legal' in Adjectives Frequency: #87

How to pronounce Legal?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Legal in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Legal in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Legal in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Legal in a Sentence

1. Hassan Ahmad:

   What we're challenging is the haphazard lack of legal procedure. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

2. Xavier Becerra:

   The California Department of Justice serves the state of California and The California Department of Justice 40 million people collectively, we protect them and their rights. We do not give out free legal advice, which is what this would translate into. It would be free legal advice to that business at taxpayer expense.

3. Peter Navarro:

   Clearly, the prosecution's strategy is to take advantage of an individual without adequate representation, my very freedom here is at stake and I ask for the court's understanding that it will take time both to find the appropriate representation and time to develop an appropriate legal strategy.

4. Leana Wen:

   With the landscape changing dramatically in the last several months and the right to safe, legal abortion care under attack like never before, I understand the shift in the board's prioritization.

5. David Holt:

   One thing I have learned from this is no one reads the proclamations, you can labor over the legal language, but what matters more is what you say, the messaging.

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