Etimology
Borrowed from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”). Doublet of loyal and leal.
adjective
legal (comparative more legal, superlative most legal)
Relating to the law or to lawyers.
Having its basis in the law.
Being established, permitted, required or prescribed by law.
Following the rules or syntax of a system, such as a game or a programming language.
(informal) Above the age of consent or the legal drinking age.
Permitting the use and/or sale of cannabis; in which cannabis is lawful.
(US, Canada) (of paper or document layouts) Measuring 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm) (also legal-size).
Examples
According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
legal profession
legal precedent
After 50 years, legal segregation is a distant memory, and race in America is not the unbridgeable chasm it once was. The country has a black president. The sort of comity that King evoked, in which the descendants of slaves and of slave owners “sit down together at the table of brotherhood”, can be found in many places, including the Deep South. The rate of marriage between blacks and whites is rising.
legal motion
If you have no legal move, but are not in check the game is a draw.
Programming languages are designed so that each legal program has exactly one meaning
"Is she even legal? Shame on you, diddlin' a girl too young to buy beer. You being a church deacon and all." If looks could kill, Dale would be dead.
"Is she even legal? She looks like a minor." Elias whispers back, "Of course. I checked her passport. She's 20. What do you take me for? Be nice. I like her." I immediately smile at the girl behind Elias, […]
Whether you're interested in opening a retail marijuana store in a legal state or if you're interested in investing in someone or a company, which is operating in a legal state, there are […]
[Because] marijuana is still a federally illegal drug, using the drug in a child's presence, even in a legal state, could thus be construed as child abuse.
Related words
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "allowed"): banned, contraband, disallowed, forbidden, illegal, outlawed, unlawful
(antonym(s) of "concerning law"): black-market, back-alley
(antonym(s) of "over age of consent"): underage
coordinate terms
(law): equitable
noun
legal (countable and uncountable, plural legals)
(uncountable, informal) The legal department of a company.
(uncountable, US, Canada) Paper in sheets 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm).
(countable) A spy who is attached to, and ostensibly employed by, an embassy, military outpost, etc.
(countable, informal, US) Somebody who immigrated lawfully.
Examples
Legal wants this in writing.
Antonyms: illegal, undocumented