legal

See also: Legal, légal, and legâl

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”). Doublet of loyal and leal.

Pronunciation[edit]

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.ɡəl/
Rhymes: -iːɡəl
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈliɡəl/
Audio (US)
(file)

Adjective[edit]

legal (comparative more legal, superlative most legal)

Relating to the law or to lawyers.
- 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
  According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
legal profession
Having its basis in the law.
legal precedent
Being allowed or prescribed by law.
- 2013 August 23, “Waking life”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8850:
  After 50 years, legal segregation is a distant memory, and race in America is not the unbridgeable chasm it once was. The country has a black president. The sort of comity that King evoked, in which the descendants of slaves and of slave owners “sit down together at the table of brotherhood”, can be found in many places, including the Deep South. The rate of marriage between blacks and whites is rising.
legal motion
(informal) Above the age of consent or the legal drinking age.

Antonyms[edit]

(allowed): banned, contraband, disallowed, forbidden, illegal, outlawed, unlawful
(concerning law): black-market, back-alley
(over age of consent): underage

Derived terms[edit]

Derived terms

Translations[edit]

relating to the law or to lawyers

Arabic: قَانُونِيّ‎‎ (qānūniyy)
Armenian: իրավական (hy) (iravakan)
Asturian: llegal
Catalan: legal (ca), jurídic m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 法律 (zh) (fǎlǜ)
Czech: právní (cs)
Danish: juridisk, retslig
Dutch: juridisch (nl), rechts- (nl)
Finnish: juridinen (fi), oikeudellinen (fi), laki-, lakimies-, lainopillinen
French: légal (fr)
Friulian: legâl
Galician: legal m, f
German: juristisch (de), rechtlich (de)
Greek: νομικός (el) (nomikós)
Hebrew: משפטי‎‎ (mishpati)
Hungarian: jogi (hu)
Italian: legale (it), giuridico (it)
Japanese: 法的な (hōteki-na)
Latin: legalis, legitimus (la)

Latvian: likumīgs
Macedonian: правен m (práven)
Mongolian: хууль ёсны (huulʹ josny), хуулийн (huulijn), албан ёсны (alban josny)
Norman: légal
Norwegian:
Bokmål: juridisk (no)

Nynorsk: juridisk
Polish: prawniczy (pl)
Portuguese: legal (pt)
Romanian: legal (ro)
Russian: юриди́ческий (ru) (juridíčeskij), правово́й (ru) (pravovój)
Sardinian: legale, legali, ligali
Sicilian: ligali
Slovene: pravniški
Spanish: legal (es), jurídico (es) m
Swedish: rättsligt (sv)
Turkish: hukuki (tr), adli (tr), hukuksal (tr), tüzel (tr)
Venetian: łegałe
Welsh: deddfol, cyfreithiol (cy)

having its basis in the law

Arabic: قَانُونِيّ‎‎ (qānūniyy)
Armenian: իրավական (hy) (iravakan)
Asturian: llegal
Catalan: legal (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 法定 (zh) (fǎdìng)
Dutch: juridisch (nl)
Finnish: lainmukainen (fi), juridinen (fi)
Friulian: legâl
Galician: legal
German: juristisch (de), rechtlich (de)
Greek: νομικός (el) (nomikós)
Hebrew: משפטי‎‎ (mishpati)
Italian: legale (it)

Japanese: 法律の (hōritsu no)
Latvian: likumīgs
Macedonian: законски m (zákonski)
Polish: prawny (pl)
Portuguese: legal (pt)
Romanian: legal (ro), juridic (ro)
Russian: правоме́рный (ru) (pravomérnyj), зако́нный (ru) (zakónnyj)
Sicilian: ligali
Slovene: praven
Spanish: legal (es)
Swedish: rättsligt (sv)
Turkish: yasal (tr)
Venetian: łegałe

allowed or prescribed by law

Albanian: please add this translation if you can
Arabic: قَانُونِيّ‎‎ (qānūniyy)
Armenian: օրինական (hy) (ōrinakan)
Asturian: llegal
Basque: please add this translation if you can
Catalan: legal (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 合法 (zh) (héfǎ)
Czech: legální (cs), zákonný (cs)
Danish: lovlig (da), legal
Dutch: wettelijk (nl), legaal (nl), wettig (nl), legitiem (nl)
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Estonian: seaduslik (et)
Finnish: laillinen (fi), lakisääteinen (fi)
French: légal (fr)
Friulian: legâl
Galician: legal
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: legal (de)
Greek: νόμιμος (el) (nómimos)
Hebrew: חוקי‎‎ ('huki)
Hungarian: törvényes (hu)
Italian: legale (it)
Japanese: 合法 (ja) (gōhō), 法に則った (hō-ni-notto-tta)

Khmer: តាមច្បាប់ (taam cbap), ស្របច្បាប់ (srɑɑp cbap)
Korean: 합법적인 (hapbeopjeokin)
Latin: legitimus (la)
Latvian: likumīgs
Macedonian: законски m (zákonski)
Mongolian: хууль ёсны (huulʹ josny)
Ngazidja Comorian: -a sharia
Norman: légal
Polish: legalny (pl), zgodny z prawem, prawowity (pl), pełnomocny
Portuguese: legal (pt)
Romanian: legal (ro)
Russian: зако́нный (ru) (zakónnyj), лега́льный (ru) (legálʹnyj)
Sicilian: ligali
Slovene: zakonit
Spanish: legal (es)
Swahili: halali (sw)
Swedish: laglig (sv), legal (sv)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Tibetan: ཁྲིམས་མཐུན (khrims mthun)
Turkish: yasal (tr), meşru (tr), kanuni (tr)
Venetian: łegałe
Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
Welsh: cyfreithiol (cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} laŭleĝa, ^{(please verify)} legala
Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} hukum (id)

Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} legal

Noun[edit]

legal (countable and uncountable, plural legals)

(uncountable, informal) The legal department of a company.
Legal wants this in writing.
(uncountable, US, Canada) Paper in sheets 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm).
(countable) A spy who is attached to, and ostensibly employed by, an embassy, military outpost, etc.

Derived terms[edit]

legal-size

Anagrams[edit]

egall

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis. Compare the inherited doublet lleial.

Pronunciation[edit]

(Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ləˈɡal/
(Valencian) IPA^(key): /leˈɡal/

Adjective[edit]

legal (masculine and feminine plural legals)

legal

Antonyms[edit]

il·legal

Derived terms[edit]

legalment

Related terms[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”).

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /leɡaːl/, [leˈɡ̊æːˀl]

Adjective[edit]

legal

legal (something that conforms to or is according to law)
legitimate (conforming to accepted rules)

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of legal
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	legal	—	—²
Neuter singular	legalt	—	—²
Plural	legale	—	—²
Definite attributive¹	legale	—	—
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Synonyms[edit]

(legal): lovlig
(legitimate): legitim

Antonyms[edit]

(legal): illegal

Galician[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis. Compare leal.

Adjective[edit]

legal m, f (plural legais)

legal (having its basis in the law)

Antonyms[edit]

ilegal

Derived terms[edit]

legalmente

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”).

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): [leːˈɡaːl]
Audio
(file)
Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective[edit]

legal (not comparable)

legal

Declension[edit]

Declension of legal

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist legal	sie ist legal	es ist legal	sie sind legal
strong declension (without article)	nominative	legaler	legale	legales	legale
	genitive	legalen	legaler	legalen	legaler
	dative	legalem	legaler	legalem	legalen
	accusative	legalen	legale	legales	legale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der legale	die legale	das legale	die legalen
	genitive	des legalen	der legalen	des legalen	der legalen
	dative	dem legalen	der legalen	dem legalen	den legalen
	accusative	den legalen	die legale	das legale	die legalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein legaler	eine legale	ein legales	(keine) legalen
	genitive	eines legalen	einer legalen	eines legalen	(keiner) legalen
	dative	einem legalen	einer legalen	einem legalen	(keinen) legalen
	accusative	einen legalen	eine legale	ein legales	(keine) legalen

Antonyms[edit]

illegal

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”). Compare leal, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation[edit]

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /leˈɡaw/
(Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɨˈɣaɫ/

Adjective[edit]

legal m, f (plural legais, comparable)

legal
(Brazil, familiar) cool, nice, good

Quotations[edit]

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:legal.

Synonyms[edit]

(legal): lícito
(Portugal, cool): fixe

Antonyms[edit]

(legal): ilegal
(cool): chato

Derived terms[edit]

legalmente

Related terms[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French légal, Latin legalis.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /leˈɡal/

Adjective[edit]

legal m, n (feminine singular legală, masculine plural legali, feminine and neuter plural legale)

legal, lawful

Declension[edit]

declension of legal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	legal		legală	legali	legale
nominative/ accusative	definite	legalul		legala	legalii	legalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	legal		legale	legali	legale
genitive/ dative	definite	legalului		legalei	legalilor	legalelor

Synonyms[edit]

licit

Antonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis, from lēx (“law”). Compare leal, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /leˈɡal/, [leˈɣal]

Adjective[edit]

legal (plural legales)

legal
Antonym: ilegal

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin legalis.

Adjective[edit]

legal (not comparable)

legal

Declension[edit]

Inflection of legal
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative²
Common singular	legal	—	—
Neuter singular	legalt	—	—
Plural	legala	—	—
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular¹	legale	—	—
All	legala	—	—
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.

Related terms[edit]

legal

Contents

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Inflection[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Galician[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

See also[edit]

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Declension[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Quotations[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Declension[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Declension[edit]

Related terms[edit]

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