le·gal /'lē-gəl/ adj [Latin legalis, from leg- lex law]
1: of or relating to law or the processes of law
a legal question
take legal action
2 a: deriving authority from or founded on law
a legal tariff rate
a legal government
b: fulfilling the requirements of law
a legal voter
c: having a status derived from law: recognized as such by law
a legal certainty
d: created by operation of esp. statutory law
e: established by law
the legal test for mental capacity
3: conforming to or permitted by law: lawful
a referendum to make gambling legal
4: recognized or made effective under principles of law as distinguished from principles of equity: deriving from or existing or valid in law as distinguished from equity see also equity compare equitable
5 a: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or one of its members
a corporate legal department
the legal community
b: of or relating to the study of law
le·gal·ly adv
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.