Definitions for legitimate
lɪˈdʒɪt ə mɪt; -ˌmeɪtle·git·i·mate

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legitimateadjective

   of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful

2. legitimate, logicaladjective

   based on known statements or events or conditions

   "rain was a logical expectation, given the time of year"

3. legitimateadjective

   in accordance with recognized or accepted standards or principles

   "legitimate advertising practices"

4. lawful, legitimate, licitverb

   authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law

   "a legitimate government"

5. legalize, legalise, decriminalize, decriminalise, legitimize, legitimise, legitimate, legitimatize, legitimatiseverb

   make legal

   "Marijuana should be legalized"

6. legitimateverb

   show or affirm to be just and legitimate

7. legitimateverb

   make (an illegitimate child) legitimate; declare the legitimacy of (someone)

   "They legitimized their natural child"

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Legitimateadjective

   accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements; lawful; as, legitimate government; legitimate rights; the legitimate succession to the throne; a legitimate proceeding of an officer; a legitimate heir

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

2. Legitimateadjective

   lawfully begotten; born in wedlock

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

3. Legitimateadjective

   authorized; real; genuine; not false, counterfeit, or spurious; as, legitimate poems of Chaucer; legitimate inscriptions

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

4. Legitimateadjective

   conforming to known principles, or accepted rules; as, legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard, or method; a legitimate combination of colors

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

5. Legitimateadjective

   following by logical sequence; reasonable; as, a legitimate result; a legitimate inference

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

6. Legitimateverb

   to make legitimate, lawful, or valid; esp., to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means; as, to legitimate a bastard child

   Etymology: [LL. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare to legitimate, fr. L. legitimus legitimate. See Legal.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Legitimate

   le-jit′i-māt, adj. lawful: lawfully begotten, born in wedlock: fairly deduced: following by natural sequence: authorised by usage.—v.t. to make lawful: to give the rights of a legitimate child to an illegitimate one.—n. Legit′imacy, state of being legitimate: lawfulness of birth: regular deduction: directness of descent as affecting the royal succession.—adv. Legit′imately.—ns. Legit′imateness, lawfulness; Legitimā′tion, act of rendering legitimate, esp. of conferring the privileges of lawful birth.—v.t. Legit′imise (same as Legitimate).—n. Legit′imist, one who supports legitimate authority: in France, a follower of the elder Bourbon line (descendants of Louis XIV.), as opposed to the Orleanists or supporters of the descendants of the Duke of Orleans, Louis XIV.'s brother.—Legitimate drama, a designation frequently applied to the representation of Shakespeare's plays—often employed as vaguely indicating approval of the drama of some former time. [Low L. legitimāre. -ātum—L. legitimus, lawful—lex, law.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. legitimate

   In accordance with the relevant legislation.

   The fuel costs for the business are legitimate.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 8, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Change
   • Justify

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'legitimate' in Adjectives Frequency: #752

How to pronounce legitimate?

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 legitimate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of legitimate in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of legitimate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of legitimate in a Sentence

1. William Gibson:

   Cyberspace A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation.

2. Rick Fleming:

   If congressional action is needed, it should be used to press the SEC to move forward in its efforts to make disclosure more accessible and useful for investors, cost to issuers is a legitimate concern, but I think we can safely predict that smart people will quickly develop ways to bring those costs down significantly.

3. Yohanan Plesner:

   There are now, as a result of this unification, two, I would say, legitimate major parties ... (but) its not a done deal, i think Netanyahu is still more likely to win and to emerge as prime minister at the end of this election campaign, but it is a competitive race.

4. Nancy Pelosi:

   The White House has made fools of their allies in the House of Representatives in the way they've handled this, they cook up some intelligence. They bring the chairman of the committee -- a very distinguished position which he has tarnished -- they use him as a tool to tell him what they have cooked up, now you go tell the President what we have cooked up and try to represent to the American people that this is legitimate intelligence.

5. Craig Faller:

   We call it' Day Now' because there is going to be a day when the legitimate government takes over, and it's going to come when we least expect it — and it could be right now.

Images & Illustrations of legitimate

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