legal
legal Lexical Profile
legal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Permitted by law; lawful or valid according to statutory requirements.
"Before starting the construction project, the developers ensured that every modification to the historic building was completely legal."
Relating to, connected with, or appointed by the law or its administration.
"She decided to seek independent legal advice before signing the employment contract."
North American Denoting a standard size of paper measuring 8.5 by 14 inches, commonly used for contracts and official documents.
"Please load the printer tray with legal paper so the entire financial table fits on a single sheet."
• noun
The department within a corporation or organization responsible for handling legal matters, contracts, and regulatory compliance.
"We cannot publish the press release until we get final clearance from legal."
Requirements, proceedings, or documents of a legal nature (usually used in the plural).
"Once the legals are finalized by the solicitors, we can exchange contracts on the property."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'legal' and 'lawful' are often used interchangeably, 'legal' implies strict conformity with statutory rules and court regulations, whereas 'lawful' carries a broader ethical or moral connotation of being rightful and sanctioned by natural or divine principles.
• Rhymes for legal
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Middle French 'légal', derived from Latin 'lēgālis' ('pertaining to the law'), from 'lēx' (genitive 'lēgis', meaning 'law' or 'statute').