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Legally - 3 dictionary results

le⋅gal

  [lee-guhl]
Use Legally in a Sentence
–adjective
1. permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
2. of or pertaining to law; connected with the law or its administration: the legal profession.
3. appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.
4. recognized by law rather than by equity.
5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers: a legal mind.
6. Theology.
a. of or pertaining to the Mosaic Law.
b. of or pertaining to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.
–noun
7. a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.
8. an alien who has entered a country legally.
9. a person whose status is protected by law.
10. a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.
11. a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.
12. legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.
Origin:
1490–1500; < L lēgālis of the law, equiv. to lēg- (s. of lēx) law + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
le⋅gal⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
3. licit, legitimate, sanctioned.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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le·gal   (lē'gəl)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or concerned with law: legal papers.
    1. Authorized by or based on law: a legal right.
    2. Established by law; statutory: the legal owner.
  3. In conformity with or permitted by law: legal business operations.
  4. Recognized or enforced by law rather than by equity.
  5. In terms of or created by the law: a legal offense.
  6. Applicable to or characteristic of attorneys or their profession.
n.  
  1. One that is in accord with certain rules or laws.
  2. legals Investments that may be legally made by fiduciaries and certain institutions, such as savings banks and insurance companies. Also called legal list.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin lēgālis, from lēx, lēg-, law; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]
le'gal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legally

Le"gal*ly\, adv. In a legal manner.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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