Etymologically
Log in

legitimate

Etymology and origin of the English word legitimate

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1464
Borrowed from
Latin legitimatus
Ultimate origin
Latin (lex)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /lɪˈdʒɪtəmət/, /ləˈdʒɪtəmət/ (UK); /ləˈdʒɪt̬əmət/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English legitimat, borrowed from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus, the past participle of lēgitimāre (“to make lawful”),[2][3][4] partly through Middle French legitimer,[2][3] from Latin lēgitimus (“lawful, fixed by law”), from lex (“law”) (genitive lēgis; see legal).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lawfully begotten, born of married parents: before 1464 in Barnhart, the mid-15th century in Etymonline, 1494 in the OED.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Genuine or real, as opposed to spurious, is from the 1550s.[3][5] Lawful, sanctioned by law or right, is from 1638.[2][5] Conforming to a recognized standard is from 1669,[5] and of a sovereign's title, resting on strict hereditary right, from 1812.[5] The legitimate theatre, serious drama as opposed to music hall or film, is a later use.[6][7] The verb, to make lawful, is from the 1590s, 1531 in MWU.[3][8] Legitimacy is from 1691.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1464 – born in wedlock.[2]
  • 1550s – genuine.[3]
  • 1638 – lawful.[2][5]
  • 1691 – legitimacy.[2]
  • 1812 – of hereditary right.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Allowed by law or by the rules; lawful.
  2. Reasonable and justifiable: a legitimate excuse.
  3. Born of parents legally married to each other.
  4. Ruling by hereditary right.

Verb

  1. To make legitimate; to legitimize.

Word family

  • legitimately
  • legitimateness
  • legitimation
  • legitimator
  • legitimatize
  • nonlegitimate
  • delegitimate

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  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. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Legitimate.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/legitimate. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·