legal

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le·gal

 (lē′gəl)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or concerned with law: legal papers.
2.
a. Established or recognized by law: a legal right.
b. Authorized by law: the legal owner.
c. Established legally other than by statute, as by a judicial opinion: a legal authority.
3. In conformity with or permitted by law: legal business operations.
4. Recognized or enforced by law rather than by equity.
5. In terms of or created by the law: a legal offense.
6. Applicable to or characteristic of attorneys or their profession.
7. Acceptable or allowable under official rules: a legal forward pass.
n.
1. Slang
a. A person who is legally authorized to live and work in a country.
b. A person or department providing legal assistance.
2. A legal notice, especially an advertisement.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin lēgālis, from lēx, lēg-, law; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]

le′gal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

legal

(ˈliːɡəl)
adj
1. (Law) established by or founded upon law; lawful
2. (Law) of or relating to law
3. (Law) recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity
4. (Law) relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
[C16: from Latin lēgālis, from lēx law]
ˈlegally adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

le•gal

(ˈli gəl)

adj.
1. permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
2. of or pertaining to law; connected with the law or its administration: the legal profession.
3. appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.
4. recognized by law rather than by equity.
5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers: a legal mind.
n.
6. a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.
7. a person whose status is protected by or in accordance with law.
8. legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.
[1490–1500; < Latin lēgālis of the law =lēg-, s. of lēx law + -ālis -al1]
le′gal•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

legal

lawfullegitimate
1. 'legal' and 'lawful'

Legal and lawful both mean 'allowed by law'. Lawful is a formal word.

A breath test showed he had drunk more than twice the legal limit for driving.
Capital punishment is legal in many countries.
Hunting is a lawful activity.
All his activities had been perfectly lawful.
2. 'legitimate'

Legitimate means 'correct or acceptable according to a law or rule'.

...a legitimate business transaction.

Legitimate can also mean 'justifiable under the circumstances'.

Religious leaders have a legitimate reason to be concerned.

If someone is legitimate, their parents were married at the time they were born.

...evidence that he was his father's legitimate son.
3. another meaning of 'legal'

Legal also means 'relating to the law'. You cannot use lawful or legitimate with this meaning.

...the British legal system.
...legal language.
4. 'law' in front of nouns

You use law, not 'legal', in front of a noun when you are talking about someone or something connected with the study of law.

...a law student.
He had only just received his law degree.

Law also appears in the names of some places and institutions connected with the law.

...the Law Courts.
...the Law Society.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.legal - established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
lawful - conformable to or allowed by law; "lawful methods of dissent"
legitimate - of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful
illegal - prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules; "an illegal chess move"
2.legal - of or relating to jurisprudence; "legal loophole"
3.legal - having legal efficacy or force; "a sound title to the property"
valid - well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force; "a valid inference"; "a valid argument"; "a valid contract"
4.legal - relating to or characteristic of the profession of law; "the legal profession"
5.legal - allowed by official rules; "a legal pass receiver"
athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
eligible - qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen; "eligible to run for office"; "eligible for retirement benefits"; "an eligible bachelor"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

legal

adjective
1. judicial, judiciary, forensic, juridical, jurisdictive the British legal system
2. lawful, allowed, sanctioned, constitutional, proper, valid, legitimate, authorized, rightful, permissible, legalized, allowable, within the law, licit What I did was perfectly legal.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

legal

adjective
Within, allowed by, or sanctioned by the law:
Slang: legit.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قانونيقَانُونِيٌّقَضائي
právníprávnickýlegální
juridisklovligretsmæssig
laillinen
pravni
jogitörvényes
laga-, lögfræîi-löglegur
合法的な
합법적인
legitimus
atitinkantis įstatymąįstatymo leidžiamasįteisintilegaliailegalizuoti
juridiskslegāls, likumīgstieslietu-
legálnyprávnický
pravenzakonit
juridisklaglig
ที่ถูกกฎหมาย
yasalyasalarla ilgiliyasaya uygunkanunî
hợp pháp

legal

[ˈliːgəl]
A. ADJ
1. (= judicial) [error] → judicial; [document] → legal; [firm] → de abogados; [question, matter] → legal, jurídico
to take legal actionponer una denuncia
to take legal action against sbponer una denuncia a algn, presentar una demanda (judicial) contra algn
to take legal adviceconsultar a un abogado
legal adviserasesor(a) m/f jurídico/a
legal battlecontienda f judicial or legal, pleito m
legal costs or feescostas fpl, gastos mpl judiciales
legal department (of bank, company) → departamento m jurídico
to be above or over the legal limitestar por encima del límite permitido por ley
to be below or under the legal limitestar por debajo del límite permitido por ley
legal loopholelaguna f en la legislación, resquicio m legal
legal proceedingsprocedimiento m jurídico, pleito m
to start or initiate legal proceedings against sbentablar un pleito contra algn
the legal processel proceso judicial or jurídico
the legal professionla abogacía
to enter the legal professionhacerse abogado
they were allowed no legal representationno les permitieron que un abogado les representara
2. (= lawful) [activity, action] → legal, legítimo; [owner] → legítimo; (= under the law) [right, protection] → legal
to be legal to do sthser legal hacer algo
to have the legal authority to do sthtener la autoridad or el poder legal para hacer algo
to make sth legallegalizar algo
they decided to make it legal (= get married) → decidieron formalizar or legalizar su relación
B. CPD legal aid Nasistencia f de un abogado de oficio
legal holiday N (US) → fiesta f oficial, día m festivo oficial, (día m) feriado m (LAm)
legal system Nsistema m jurídico
legal tender N (Fin) → moneda f de curso legal
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

legal

[ˈliːgəl] adj
(= permitted by law) [action, situation] → légal(e)
What I did was perfectly legal → Ce que j'ai fait était parfaitement légal.
the legal alcohol limit → la limite légale d'alcoolémie
drivers who are over the legal limit of alcohol → les conducteurs qui dépassent la limite légale d'alcoolémie
(relating to the legal system) [team, counsel] → juridique; [issue, matter, question] → juridique; [case] → judiciaire
a legal battle → une bataille juridique
The legal battle is likely to be long → La bataille juridique sera probablement longue.
to take legal action → aller en justice, intenter une action judiciaire
I'm ready to take legal action to protect my rights → Je suis prêt à aller en justice pour défendre mes droits., Je suis prêt à intenter une action judiciaire pour défendre mes droits.
to take legal action against sb → poursuivre qn en justice, intenter une action judiciaire contre qn
to take legal advice → obtenir un avis juridiquelegal adviser nconseiller/ère m/f juridiquelegal aid naide f juridique, aide f judiciairelegal costs nplfrais mpl de justicelegal currency nmonnaie f légalelegal department n [bank, firm] → service m du contentieuxlegal fees nplfrais mpl de justicelegal holiday (US) njour m férié
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

legal

adj
(= lawful)legal, rechtlich zulässig; (= according to the law) restrictions, obligation, limitgesetzlich; (= allowed by law) fare, speedzulässig; (= valid before law) will, purchaserechtsgültig; to become legalrechtskräftig werden; to make something legaletw legalisieren; the legal age for marriagedas gesetzliche Heiratsalter, die Ehemündigkeit; it is not legal to sell drink to childrenes ist gesetzlich verboten, Alkohol an Kinder zu verkaufen; legal limit (of blood alcohol when driving)Promillegrenze f; legal claimrechtmäßiger Anspruch, Rechtsanspruch m; legal document or instrument(rechtskräftige) Urkunde; legal rightsgesetzlich verankerte Rechte pl; they don’t know what their legal rights aresie kennen ihre eigenen Rechte nicht; the legal custody of the childrendas Sorgerecht für die Kinder; women had no legal statusFrauen waren nicht rechtsfähig; he made legal provision for his ex-wifeer hat die Versorgung seiner geschiedenen Frau rechtlich geregelt
(= relating to the law)Rechts-; matters, affairsjuristisch, rechtlich; advice, services, journal, mindjuristisch; decisionrichterlich; inquiry, investigationgerichtlich; from a legal point of viewaus juristischer Sicht, rechtlich gesehen; for legal reasonsaus rechtlichen Gründen; what’s his legal position?wie ist seine rechtliche Stellung?; legal charges or fees or costs (solicitor’s) → Anwaltskosten pl; (court’s) → Gerichtskosten pl; to take legal advice on or over or about somethingin Bezug auf etw (acc)juristischen Rat einholen; to start legal proceedings against somebodygegen jdn Klage erheben, jdn verklagen; legal opinion is that …die Anwälte sind der Meinung, dass …; legal loopholeGesetzeslücke f; the British legal systemdas britische Rechtssystem; the legal professionder Anwaltsstand, die Anwaltschaft; (including judges) → die Juristenschaft; legal representationRechtsvertretung f; legal representativegesetzlicher Vertreter; (= counsel)(Rechts)anwalt m, → (Rechts)anwältin f, → Verteidiger(in) m(f)

legal

:
legal action
nKlage f; to take legal against somebodygegen jdn Klage erheben, jdn verklagen
legal adviser
nRechtsberater(in) m(f)
legal aid
nRechtshilfe f
legal department
nRechtsabteilung f, → juristische Abteilung
legal eagle
n (hum inf)Rechtsverdreher(in) m(f) (hum inf)
legal entity

legal

:
legal offence, (US) legal offense
nstrafbare Handlung; drug-peddling is a legalder Handel mit Drogen ist strafbar
legal practitioner
legal protection
nRechtsschutz m
legal separation
legal successor
nRechtsnachfolger(in) m(f)
legal tender
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

legal

[ˈliːgl] adj
a. (lawful) → legale; (requirement) → di legge
these coins are no longer legal currency → queste monete sono fuori corso
b. (relating to the law, gen) → legale; (error) → giudiziario/a
as a member of the legal profession → come legale
to take legal action or proceedings against sb → intentare un'azione legale contro qn, far causa a qn
legal department (of a firm) → ufficio legale, contenzioso
legal aid → assistenza legale gratuita, patrocinio legale gratuito
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

legal

(ˈliːgəl) adjective
1. lawful; allowed by the law. Is it legal to bring gold watches into the country?; a legal contract.
2. concerned with or used in the law. the legal profession.
ˈlegally adverb
leˈgality (-ˈgӕ-) noun
ˈlegalize, ˈlegalise verb
to make legal or lawful.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

legal

قَانُونِيٌّ právní juridisk legal νόμιμος legal laillinen légal pravni legale 合法的な 합법적인 juridisch lovlig prawny legal юридический juridisk ที่ถูกกฎหมาย yasal hợp pháp 法定的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

legal

a. legal, legítimo-a, de acuerdo con la ley;
___ blindnessceguera ___;
___ medicine, forensic medicinemedicina ___;
___ suitlitigio, demanda, pleito.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
The Fourth arrived, and punctual Paul Came, with his legal friend, at noon.
The old man's illness had not lasted many days when he took formal possession of the premises and all upon them, in virtue of certain legal powers to that effect, which few understood and none presumed to call in question.
So, Britannia mentions to a legal gentleman of her acquaintance that if Veneering will 'put down' five thousand pounds, he may write a couple of initial letters after his name at the extremely cheap rate of two thousand five hundred per letter.
Letterblair, the accredited legal adviser of three generations of New York gentility, throned behind his mahogany desk in evident perplexity.
And at her house in town, upon this muddy, murky afternoon, presents himself an old- fashioned old gentleman, attorney-at-law and eke solicitor of the High Court of Chancery, who has the honour of acting as legal adviser of the Dedlocks and has as many cast-iron boxes in his office with that name outside as if the present baronet were the coin of the conjuror's trick and were constantly being juggled through the whole set.
"If I am right in my own persuasion that such a document as I here describe is at this moment in Admiral Bartram's possession -- a persuasion based, in the first instance, on the extraordinary words that I have quoted to you; and, in the second instance, on purely legal considerations with which it is needless to incumber my letter -- if I am right in this opinion, the discovery of the Secret Trust would be, in all probability, a most important discovery to your interests.
Ralph, having died intestate, and having no relations but those with whom he had lived in such enmity, they would have become in legal course his heirs.
The names begin to appear fast and furiously, flashing from legal page to legal page and in a flash vanishing.
Alexey Alexandrovitch was in principle in favor of the publicity of legal proceedings, though for some higher official considerations he disliked the application of the principle in Russia, and disapproved of it, as far as he could disapprove of anything instituted by authority of the Emperor.
There was an airy disregard for legal formalities about him which exasperated his father, an attorney of the old school.
He has lied so much and so notoriously that he has neither the legal nor moral right to tell the truth."
He is legal counsel for one of the great Western railways, and is sometimes away from his New York office for weeks together.