le légitime

Word: légitime

Language: French

Meaning in English: Legitimate

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Explanation:

1. Meaning:

• Légitime means something that is lawful, rightful, or justified according to rules, laws, or morals.
• It can describe an action, claim, right, or status that is valid and recognized.

Example:

• Un héritier légitime — A legitimate heir (one who is legally entitled to inherit)
• La défense légitime — Legitimate defense (justified defense under law)

2. Parts and Origin:

• The word légitime comes from Latin legitimus, which means "lawful" or "in accordance with the law".
• It starts with the root leg- related to law (as in legal, legislation)
• The suffix -itime adds the quality or state of relating to the root word.

3. Synonyms:

• Licite (lawful)
• Juste (just)
• Valable (valid)
• Autorisé (authorized)

4. Antonyms:

• Illégitime (illegitimate or unlawful)
• Injuste (unjust)
• Illicite (illegal)

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Additional Meanings:

• Social context:
  Légitime sometimes is used to indicate a socially accepted or morally justifiable concept, beyond just legal legitimacy.

• In philosophy or ethics:
  Refers to what is considered rightful or justified according to ethical standards.

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Summary:
Légitime is an adjective meaning "legitimate" or "lawful". It describes something that is valid or justified according to law or morals. Its antonym is illégitime.