Legitimize vs Legitimate - What's the difference?
legitimize | legitimate |
To make legitimate.
In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements; lawful.
*
Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.
* (rfdate) Macaulay
Authentic, real, genuine.
(senseid)Lawfully begotten, i.e., born to a legally married couple.
Relating to hereditary rights.
To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.
Legitimate is a synonym of legitimize.
As verbs the difference between legitimize and legitimate
is that legitimize is to make legitimate while legitimate is to make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.As an adjective legitimate is
in accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements; lawful.legitimize
English
Alternative forms
* legitimiseVerb
(legitimiz)Usage notes
* Forms of (legitimize) ares about twice as common as forms of the verb legitimate in the US. * Forms of legitimate are somewhat more common than the forms of the verbs (legitimize) and (legitimise) in the UK combined.Synonyms
* legitimate (verb)Derived terms
* delegitimize * illegitimatize * illegitimizelegitimate
English
Etymology 1
From . Originally "lawfully begotten," from (etyl) legitimer and directly fromAdjective
(en adjective)- legitimate''' reasoning; a '''legitimate standard or method
- Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic.
- legitimate''' poems of Chaucer; '''legitimate inscriptions