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L/Legitimate
All L words
Visual memory aid for Legitimate

Legitimate

Conforming to the law or established rules; legally valid or genuine.

adjective
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Imagine This

Imagine a judge stamping a contract with a seal that reads LEGITIMATE. The document is checked against state law and an official registry, and once stamped, everyone accepts it as valid and genuine.

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Sounds Like

lih-JIT-uh-mit

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Looks Like

similar to legal; informal shorthand 'legit'

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Remember This

Originates from Latin legitimus meaning 'lawful,' via Old French. Related terms include legitimacy, legitimate, and illegitimate.

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Other Forms

legitimacynoun
legitimateizeverb
legitimatingverb (present participle)
legitimatelyadverb
illegitimateadjective
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Connect With

lawful, legal, valid, genuine, authentic

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Note

Legitimate can describe legality, the legitimacy of a claim, or the reasonableness of an argument. Do not confuse with 'legible' (easy to read) or 'licit' (permissible by law in a narrower sense). Opposite sense is 'illegitimate.'

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