legal

See also: Legal, légal, and legâl

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

legal (comparative more legal, superlative most legal)

1. 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

2. Having its basis in the law.

   legal precedent

3. 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

4. (informal) Above the age of consent or the legal drinking age.

Antonyms

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

Derived terms

Derived terms

• legal beagle
• legal duty
• legal eagle
• legalese

• legality
• legal representative
• legal separation
• paralegal

Translations

relating to the law or to lawyers

• Arabic: قَانُونِيّ‎ (ar) (qānūniyy)
• Armenian: իրավական (hy) (iravakan)
• Asturian: llegal
• Bulgarian: юридически (bg) (juridičeski)
• Catalan: legal (ca), jurídic (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 法律的 (fǎlǜ de)

• Czech: právní (cs)
• Danish: juridisk, retslig
• Dutch: juridisch (nl), rechts- (nl)
• Finnish: juridinen (fi), oikeudellinen (fi), laki-, lakimies-, lainopillinen
• French: juridique (fr), légal (fr) (criticized)
• Friulian: legâl
• Galician: legal m or f
• German: juristisch (de), rechtlich (de)
• Greek: νομικός (el) (nomikós)

  Ancient: νομικός (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 (praven)
• 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 (ar) (qānūniyy)
• Armenian: իրավական (hy) (iravakan)
• Asturian: llegal
• Bulgarian: законов (zakonov)
• Catalan: legal (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 法定的 (fǎdìng de)

• 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 (zakonski)
• 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 (ar) (qānūniyy)
• Armenian: օրինական (hy) (ōrinakan)
• Asturian: llegal
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: законен (bg) (zakonen), легален (bg) (legalen)
• Catalan: legal (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 合法的 (héfǎ de)

• 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)

  Ancient: ἔννομος (énnomos)

• Hebrew: חוקי‎ (ḥuki)
• Hungarian: törvényes (hu)
• Italian: legale (it)

• Japanese: 合法 (ja) (gōhō), 法に則った (hō ni nottotta)
• Khmer: តាមច្បាប់ (taam cbap), ស្របច្បាប់ (srɑɑp cbap)
• Korean: 합법적인 (hapbeopjeogin)
• Latin: lēgitimus (la)
• Latvian: likumīgs
• Macedonian: законски m (zakonski)
• Mongolian: хууль ёсны (huulʹ josny)
• Ngazidja Comorian: -a sharia
• Norman: légal
• Old English: ǣwlīċ
• 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

legal (countable and uncountable, plural legals)

1. (uncountable, informal) The legal department of a company.

   Legal wants this in writing.

2. (uncountable, US, Canada) Paper in sheets 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm).
3. (countable) A spy who is attached to, and ostensibly employed by, an embassy, military outpost, etc.
4. (countable, informal, US) Somebody who immigrated lawfully.

   Antonyms: illegal, undocumented

Derived terms

• legal-size

Anagrams

• Galle, egall

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis. Compare the inherited doublet lleial.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

legal (masculine and feminine plural legals)

1. legal

   Antonym: il·legal

Derived terms

• legalitzar
• legalment

Related terms

• legalitat
• llei
• lleial

Further reading

• “legal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “legal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “legal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “legal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Danish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leɡaːl/, [leˈɡ̊æːˀl]

Adjective

legal

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

Inflection

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

• (legal): lovlig
• (legitimate): legitim

Antonyms

• (legal): illegal

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Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lēgālis. Compare leal.

Adjective

legal m or f (plural legais)

1. legal (having its basis in the law)

Antonyms

• ilegal

Derived terms

• legalmente

See also

• lícito

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German

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [leːˈɡaːl]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

legal (not comparable)

1. legal

Declension

Declension of legal

number & gender		singular			plural
		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

• illegal

Further reading

• legal in Duden online

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Portuguese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɨ.ˈɣaɫ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /le.ˈɡaw/

Adjective

legal m or f (plural legais, comparable)

1. legal
2. (Brazil, familiar) cool, nice, good

Quotations

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

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• (legal): ilegal
• (cool): chato

Derived terms

• legalmente

Related terms

• ilegal
• legalidade

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French légal, Latin legalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leˈɡal/

Adjective

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

1. legal, lawful

Declension

Declension of legal

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

Synonyms

• licit

Antonyms

• ilegal
• ilicit

Related terms

• legalitate
• lege
• legitim

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Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leˈɡal/, [leˈɣal]

Adjective

legal (plural legales)

1. legal, statutory

   Antonym: ilegal

2. lawful
3. (colloquial) legit

Derived terms

• alegal
• legalmente

Related terms

• ilegal
• legalidad
• ley

Further reading

• “legal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

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Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin legalis.

Adjective

legal (not comparable)

1. legal

Declension

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

• illegal
• legalitet
• legitim