LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

lēgitimus

lēgitimus (feminine lēgitima, neuter lēgitimum, adverb lēgitimē)
Classical[ɫeːˈɡɪ.tɪ.mʊs]Ecclesiastical[leˈd͡ʒiː.ti.mus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivelawful, legal, legitimate
  2. adjectivelegal (of or pertaining to the law)
    De Tadiana re mecum Tadius locutus est te ita scripsisse, nihil esse iam, quod laboraretur, quoniam hereditas usu capta esset. Id mirabamur te ignorare, de tutela legitima, in qua dicitur esse puella, nihil usu capi posse.Translation by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh As to the business of Tadius. He tells me that you have written him word that there was no need of farther trouble, since the property is secured by prescription. I am surprised that you do not know that in the case of a statutory wardship of an unmarried girl prescription cannot be pleaded.68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 1.5.6
  3. adjectivelegitimate (born of married parents)
  4. adjectivejust, proper, appropriate

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelēgitimuslēgitimalēgitimum
genitivelēgitimīlēgitimaelēgitimī
dativelēgitimōlēgitimaelēgitimō
accusativelēgitimumlēgitimamlēgitimum
ablativelēgitimōlēgitimālēgitimō
vocativelēgitimelēgitimalēgitimum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelēgitimīlēgitimaelēgitima
genitivelēgitimōrumlēgitimārumlēgitimōrum
dativelēgitimīslēgitimīslēgitimīs
accusativelēgitimōslēgitimāslēgitima
ablativelēgitimīslēgitimīslēgitimīs
vocativelēgitimīlēgitimaelēgitima

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

suo (legitimo) anno creari (opp. ante annum)
to be elected at the age required by law (lex Villia annalis).

lēgĭtĭmus, a, um, adj. lex; cf. Cic. Top. 8, 36,
I. fixed or appointed by law, according to law, lawful, legal, legitimate.
I. Lit.
A. Adj.: dies is erat legitimus comitiis habendis, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 52, § 128: legitimum imperium habere, id. Phil. 11, 10, 26: potestas, id. Tusc. 1, 30, 74: scriptum, id. Inv. 2, 43, 125: controversiae legitimae et civiles, which come under and are settled by the laws, id. Or. 34, 120: justus et legitimus hostis, a lawful adversary, as distinguished from pirates and other outlaws, id. Off. 3, 29, 109: aetas legitima ad petendam aedilitatem, Liv. 25, 2: horae, allowed by law (for transacting any business), Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 25: impedimentum, a legal impediment, id. Agr. 2, 9, 24: poena, Suet. Claud. 14: crimen, laid down in the laws, Dig. 47, 20, 3: filius (opp. nothus), legitimate, Quint. 3, 6, 72; 5, 14, 16; Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 6, 4, 3: matrimonia, ib. 6, 4, 2: conjux, Ov. M. 10, 437: legitimis pactam junctamque tabellis amare, Juv. 6, 200.—
B. Subst.: lēgĭtĭma, ōrum, n., usages prescribed by law, precepts (very rare): legitimis quibusdam confectis, Nep. Phoc. 4, 2: custodite legitima mea, precepts, statutes, Vulg. Lev. 18, 26; also in sing.: legitimum sempiternum erit, id. Exod. 28, 43.—
II. Transf., in gen.
A. l. q. legalis, of or belonging to the law, legal (post-Aug.): quaestiones, Quint. 3, 6, 72; 7, 3, 13: verba, Gell. 11, 1, 4: scientia, Just. Inst. prooem. § 4: actio injuriarum, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 2, 5, 5: judicia, Gai. Inst. 4, 103 sq.—
B. Right, just, proper, appropriate (class.): numerus, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 22, 57: in omnibus meis epistolis, legitima quaedam est accessio commendationis tuae, id. Fam. 7, 6, 1: illa oratorum propria et quasi legitima tractavit, ut delectaret, ut moveret, ut augeret, etc., id. Brut. 21, 82: poëma facere, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 109: sonus, id. A. P. 274: insania, Plin. 21, 31, 105, § 178: verba, Ov. F. 2, 527: partus, right, regular, Plin. 8, 43, 64, § 168; cf.: spectavit studiosissime pugiles, non legitimos et ordinarios modo, sed et catervarios, etc., Suet. Aug. 45: olus, Plin. 22, 22, 38, § 80.—In neutr.: legitimum est, with a subject-clause, it is right, proper, suitable (post-Aug.): fistulas denum pedum longitudinis esse, legitimum est, Plin. 31, 6, 31, § 58; 33, 3, 20, § 64: seruntur lactucae anno toto: legitimum tamen, a bruma semen jacere, but the proper way is, id. 19, 8, 39, § 130.—Hence, adv.: lēgĭtĭmē.
1. According to law, lawfully, legally, legitimately: is qui legitime procurator dicitur, Cic. Caecin. 20, 57: juste et legitime imperanti, id. Off. 1, 4, 13: non nisi legitime vult nubere, Juv. 10, 338.—
2. Transf., duly, properly: faex legitime cocta, Plin. 23, 2, 31, § 64: studere, Tac. Or. 32: legitime fixis tabellis, Juv. 12, 100.

Origins

From oblique stem of lēx, lēgis + -timus (also spelled -tumus), from Proto-Indo-European *-(t)m̥mos. Compare fīnitimus, maritimus.

Descendants
  • Catalanlegítim
  • Frenchlégitime
  • Germanlegitim
  • Italianlegittimo
  • Portugueselídimo
  • Portugueselindo
  • Portugueselegítimo
  • Romanianlegitim
  • Spanishlindo
  • Italianlindofrom Spanish lindo

In English words that came into English from lēgitimus

  • illegitimateillēgitimus
  • legitimatelēgitimātus
  • legitimationlēgitimātiō

Quick answers

What does lēgitimus mean in Latin?
lēgitimus, a adjective, means “lawful, legal, legitimate; legal (of or pertaining to the law); legitimate (born of married parents)”.
How do you pronounce lēgitimus?
In classical Latin, [ɫeːˈɡɪ.tɪ.mʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [leˈd͡ʒiː.ti.mus].
Which English words come from lēgitimus?
English words that go back to Latin lēgitimus include illegitimate, legitimate and legitimation.