I. -mə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin legitimatus, past participle of legitimare to legitimate, from Latin legitimus legitimate, from leg-, lex law — more at legal
1. : lawfully begotten : born in wedlock : having full filial rights and obligations by birth
a legitimate child
2. : genuine
the legitimate work of an artist
many of them had legitimate grievances against him — W.A.Swanberg
3.
a.
(1) : accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements
a legitimate government
pharmacies, hospitals, and other legitimate storage places for narcotics — D.W.Maurer & V.H.Vogel
(2) : law-abiding
the legitimate citizen
it does not occur to the successful racketeer that he is not respectable; he is simply not legitimate — D.W.Maurer
b. : ruling by or based upon the strict principle of hereditary right
a legitimate king
a legitimate monarchy
4.
a. : conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards
legitimate advertising expenditure for the national advertiser — L.H.Bristol
Australian notions of legitimate conduct on the cricket field — D.W.Brogan
b. of a taxon : published validly and in strict accordance with the rules of the relevant international code — compare valid
5. : following in logical sequence : reasonable
a legitimate result
a legitimate inference
from this it would be legitimate to conclude — B.P.Babkin
6.
a. : of, relating to, or comprising a category of plays acted by live professional actors that does not include revues, burlesque, and many forms of musical comedy
costs far more to produce a musical than … a standard legitimate play — F.M.Whiting
the legitimate drama
b. : producing or performing in such plays
does not feel that television has hurt the legitimate theatre as yet — Clarissa Start
a legitimate actor
Synonyms: see lawful
II. -əˌmāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin legitimatus (past participle)
: to make lawful or legal:
a.
(1) : to give legal status or authorization to
was legitimated by at most 58.7 percent of the voters — Kurt Glaser
even to legitimate vice — John Milton
(2) : to show or affirm to be justified
the untestable absolutes by which so much … human suffering is perennially legitimated — Charles Frankel
b. : to put (a bastard) in the position or state of a legitimate child before the law by legal means (as the subsequent marriage of the parents)
the principle that marriage of parents should legitimate prior-born children — Morris Ploscowe
— compare adopt 1
III. -_mə̇t noun
( -s )
Etymology: legitimate (I)
1. : one having a legitimate status
legitimates and natural children — Dublin University Magazine
2. : legitimate drama or theater — usually used with the