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legal

Pronunciation: /ˈliːg(ə)l/

Translate legal | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of legal

adjective

  • 1 [attributive] relating to the law:the European legal system
  • appointed or required by the law:a legal requirement
  • Law recognized by common or statute law, as distinct from equity.
  • relating to theological legalism.
  • 2permitted by law:he claimed that it had all been legal
  • 3North American denoting a size of paper that measures 22 × 35.5 cm (8.5 × 14 inches): a yellow legal pad

Derivatives

legally

adverb
a legally binding contract legally, we’re still very much married

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'to do with Mosaic law'): from French, or from Latin legalis, from lex, leg- 'law'. Compare with loyal

legal in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of legal in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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