legal

permitted by law; lawful:

of or pertaining to law; connected with the law or its administration:

appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.

recognized by law rather than by equity.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers:

Theology.

1. of or pertaining to the Mosaic Law.
2. of or pertaining to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.

a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.

an alien who has entered a country legally.

a person whose status is protected by law.

a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.

a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.

legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.

a specialized dictionary covering terms used in the various branches of the legal profession, as civil law, criminal law, and corporate law. A comprehensive legal dictionary adds to its body of standard English entries many words and phrases that have made their way into modern legal practice from law French and Latin and are rarely found in a general English monolingual dictionary. Such a specialized dictionary is useful not only for law students and for attorneys themselves, but for members of the lay public who require legal services. Legal dictionaries published in print follow the normal practice of sorting entry terms alphabetically, while electronic dictionaries, such as the online Dictionary of Law on Dictionary.com, allow direct, immediate access to a search term.