legal
adjective
le·gal
| \ ˈlē-gəl
\
\
Definition of legal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of or relating to law
She has many legal problems.
2a
: deriving authority from or founded on law : de jure
a legal government
b
: having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact : titular
a corporation is a legal but not a real person
3
: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules
The referee said it was a legal play. Fishing in this lake is legal.
4
: recognized or made effective by a court of law as distinguished from a court of equity
5
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or of one of its members
a bottle … that some legal friend had sent him— J. G. Cozzens
6
: created by the constructions of the law
A legal fiction is something assumed in law to be a fact regardless of the truth of that assumption.