legitimate
/lɪˈd͡ʒɪt.ɪ.mət/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.22 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.
adj
Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.
adj
adj
adj
Relating to hereditary rights.
adj
Belonging or relating to the legitimate theater.
noun
A person born to a legally married couple.
Example Sentences
- "Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez."
- "According to the tweet, the encounter began with "a traffic stop for unlawful speed." If so, then the initial stop was legitimate, but in and of itself that wouldn't be probable cause to search the car. It does give an officer the right to look inside, and if contraband is in plain view, that would be probable cause. Here we don't know whether the bag full of drugs marked "BAG FULL OF DRUGS" was laying out in plain view, but it seems entirely possible."
- "legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard or method"
- "Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic."
- "legitimate poems of Chaucer; legitimate inscriptions"
- "The truth is, when we fail to protect legitimate rights of others and continue to expand the net of lies and defamation, every one would become victims one day including ourselves."
Etymology
From Middle English legitimat, legytymat, from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus, perfect passive participle of Latin lēgitimō (“to make legal”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin lēgitimus (“lawful”), originally "fixed by law, in line with the law," from Latin lēx (“law”). Originally "lawfully begotten". The noun was derived from the adjective within English or earlier by substantivization (see -ate (noun-forming suffix)), the verb from the adjective by conversion (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: legitimat, lēgitimātus, lēgitimō, lēgitimus, lēx
Usage
Inflected Forms
more legitimate (comparative)
most legitimate (superlative)
legitimates (plural)
legitimates (present, singular)
legitimating (participle, present)
legitimated (participle, past)
legitimated (past)