adj lawfully begotten; born in wedlock.
2. legitimate ·adj following by logical sequence; reasonable; as, a legitimate result; a legitimate inference.
3. legitimate ·adj authorized; real; genuine; not false, counterfeit, or spurious; as, legitimate poems of chaucer; legitimate inscriptions.
4. legitimate ·adj conforming to known principles, or accepted rules; as, legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard, or method; a legitimate combination of colors.
5. legitimate ·vt to make legitimate, lawful, or valid; ·esp., to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means; as, to legitimate a bastard child.
6. legitimate ·adj accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements; lawful; as, legitimate government; legitimate rights; the legitimate succession to the throne; a legitimate proceeding of an officer; a legitimate heir.