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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Legitimate

Le-git'i-mate, a.

adjective

(45), a. [L. Lat. legitimatus, p. p. of legitimare, Fr. légitime, Pr. legitim, Sp. & Pg. legitimo, It. legittimo, fr. Lat. legitimus. See infra.]

Sense 1. Accordant with law.

Sense 2. Lawfully begotten or born; born in wedlock; as, legitimate heirs or children.

Sense 3. Genuine; real; not false or spurious.

Sense 4. Following by logical or natural sequence; as, a legitimate result.

Sense 5. In accordance with established law; as, a legitimate government.

Sense 6. Acknowledged as requisite, or in accordance with rule.

Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic. Macaulay.

Le-ġĭt′i-māte, v. t.

verbtransitive

[imp. & p. p. LEGITIMATED; p. pr. & vb. n. LEGITIMATING.] L. Lat. legitimare, legitimatum, from Lat. legitimus, lawful, legitimate, from lex, legis, law; It. legittimare, Sp. legitimar, Fr. légitimer.]

  1. To make lawful; to legalize.
  2. To render legitimate; to communicate the rights of a legitimate child to one that is illegitimate; to invest with the rights of a lawful heir.