legitimate
[Medieval Latin
legitimatus, past participle of
legitimare to give legal status to, from Latin
legitimus legally sanctioned, from
leg-, lex law]
1 : conceived or born of parents lawfully married to each other or having been made through legal procedure equal in status to one so conceived or born
;also : having rights and obligations under the law as the child of such birth
2 : being neither spurious nor false [a grievance]
3 : being in accordance with law or with established legal forms and requirements [a government]
4 : conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards [a claim of entitlement] [a business reason]
le·git·i·mate·ly adv
[lə-ji-tə-māt] vt
-mat·ed -mat·ing : to make legitimate: as
a : to give legal status or authorization to
b : to show or affirm to be justified or have merit
c : to put (an illegitimate child) in the state of a child born of married parents before the law by legal means compare
filiate le·git·i·ma·tion [lə-ji-tə-mā-shən]
n