legitimation

See also: légitimation and Legitimation

English

Etymology

From Middle English legittimacion, from Middle French legitimacion and its etymon, Medieval Latin lēgitimātiō, lēgitimātiōnem, from lēgitimāre (“to legitimate”), from Latin lēgitimus. By surface analysis, legitimate +‎ -ion.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

legitimation (usually uncountable, plural legitimations)

1. The process of making or declaring a person legitimate.
   • 2025 June 7, Jason Wilson, “Harvard author Steven Pinker appears on podcast linked to scientific racism”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 July 2025:

     The Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker appeared on the podcast of Aporia, an outlet whose owners advocate for a revival of race science and have spoken of seeking “legitimation by association” by platforming more mainstream figures.

2. (obsolete) Legitimacy.
   • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     I am not Sir Roberts sonne, / I haue disclaim'd Sir Robert and my land, / Legitimation, name, and all is gone […] .

3. The act of establishing something as lawful; authorization.
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 231:

     Le Paige established a legitimation for the Parlement's authority which was part history, part romantic fiction, and part political wishful thinking.

Synonyms

• legitimization

Derived terms

• delegitimation
• self-legitimation

Translations

process of legitimizing

• French: légitimation (fr) f
• Indonesian: legitimasi (id), pengesahan (id), pengabsahan (id)
• Malay: pengesahan (ms), keabsahan, pengesahtarafan
• Polish: legitymizacja (pl) f
• Ukrainian: легітима́ція (uk) f (lehitymácija), легітиміза́ція f (lehitymizácija)

Swedish

Etymology

Suffix of legitim (“legit”) +‎ -a- +‎ -tion (“-tion”). First attested in 1842.

Noun

legitimation c

1. an ID (ID card or other means of identification)

   Synonyms: leg, legg

   Har du någon legitimation?

   Do you have any ID?

2. a license (authority to perform a certain job or the like)

   läkarlegitimation

   medical license

Declension

Declension of legitimation

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	legitimation	legitimations
	definite	legitimationen	legitimationens
plural	indefinite	legitimationer	legitimationers
	definite	legitimationerna	legitimationernas

See also

• legitimera (“legitimize; identify”, verb)

References

• “legitimation”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)