lə̇ˈjid.əməsē, lēˈ-, -itəm-, -si noun
( -es )
: the quality or state of being legitimate: as
a. : the legal status of kinship between a child and its natural parent usually resulting from conception and birth in lawful wedlock and entitling the child to support by and the right to bear the surname of its lawful father together with the unrestricted right of inheritance and the maximum protection of the law — compare bastardy , illegitimacy
b.
(1) : the possession of title or status as a result of acquisition by means that are or are held to be according to law and custom
old-established governments do not need to produce certificates of legitimacy — Aldous Huxley
acceptance by almost everybody … of the legitimacy of their rulers' authority — D.W.Brogan
(2) : the right to rule possessed by a monarch as a result of strict adherence to the hereditary principle
the Stuart belief in legitimacy — G.H.Sabine
c. : a conformity to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards
the legitimacy of a large majority of the world's postal paper — H.M.Ellis
legitimacy of personal success — Kenneth de Courcy