Etymologically
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legitimo

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Forms

lēgitimō (present infinitive lēgitimāre, perfect active lēgitimāvī, supine lēgitimātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is a medieval formation from Latin lēgitimus (“lawful, legitimate”) + -ō,[1][2] ultimately from lēx (“law”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in Gerhard of Augsburg, 983–993,[3] meaning to endow with dotal land and to legitimize.[3]

Semantic evolution

Niermeyer records two senses: providing a church with a glebe, and legitimizing a son or daughter.[5] British sources use it more broadly for confirming a person or a thing by law (1305), and for making a child born out of wedlock legitimate, as in a text of 1232.[2] Du Cange glosses it as giving a bastard the rights of one born in lawful marriage, and compares French légitimer and Spanish legitimar.[6] In Hungarian charters from 1292 on it means to legitimize persons or confirm things.[7]

English legitimate comes partly from Old French legitimer, partly directly from the Medieval Latin participle legitimatus.[4]

Timeline

  • 983–993 – Gerhard of Augsburg uses it.[3]
  • 1232 – A British text uses it of legitimizing a child.[2]
  • 1292 – A Hungarian charter uses it of legitimized persons.[7]
  • 1305 – A Gascon roll uses it for confirming a person's status by law.[2]
  • mid-15th century – English has legitimate, “lawfully begotten”, partly from the Latin participle.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (Medieval Latin) To confirm by law, make lawful.[2][1][8]
  2. (Medieval Latin) To legitimize (a child born out of wedlock).[5][2][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) To endow (a church) with land, a glebe.[5][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  7. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson