legitimate
In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.
Adjective 4 meanings
In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.
Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.
“legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard or method”
Authentic, real, genuine.
“legitimate poems of Chaucer; legitimate inscriptions”
Marital.
Noun 1 meaning
A person born to a legally married couple.
Verb 1 meaning
To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.
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".
Similar and opposite words
LEGITIMATE at a glance
LEGITIMATE has 10 letters and scores 13 points in Scrabble (L 1 + E 1 + G 2 + I 1 + T 1 + I 1 + M 3 + A 1 + T 1 + E 1) and 16 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #4,870 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with legitimate
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