illegal

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈliː.ɡəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French illégal or directly from Medieval Latin illegālis,^[2][3][4] from Latin il-, the assimilated form of in- (“not”), and lēgālis (“legal”).^[2][3] It is related to legal and illegality.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Contrary to law: 1626 in the OED and Barnhart,^[5][3] the 1630s in Etymonline;^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1538.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Illegally is from the 1620s^[2] and illegality from 1639.^[3] Illegal immigrant is recorded by 1892 in American English, and illegal immigration from 1887;^[2] in British use from the late 1930s it was applied to Jews entering Palestine.^[2][5] The noun, an illegal immigrant, is from 1939,^[5][6] and a Soviet secret agent working abroad without diplomatic cover from 1968.^[5] In computing it means unacceptable to a program.^[7] The Century Dictionary held that it implies a real breach of law, not a mere irregularity of procedure.^[2]

Timeline

• 1538 – first known use.^[6]
• 1626 – contrary to law.^[5][3]
• 1639 – illegality.^[3]
• 1892 – illegal immigrant.^[2]
• 1939 – noun, an illegal immigrant.^[5]
• 1968 – a Soviet agent.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Forbidden by law; unlawful.
2. Against the official rules, as of a game.
3. In computing, not acceptable to or performable by a program.

Noun

1. (informal) An illegal immigrant.

Word family

• illegally
• illegality
• illegalize
• illegal alien

Related words

• legal
• illicit
• legitimate
• loyal

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin