Lawful

Lawful
Lawful Law"ful, a. 1. Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent. [1913 Webster]

2. Constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands. [1913 Webster]

{Lawful age}, the age when the law recognizes one's right of independent action; majority; -- generally the age of twenty-one years. Also called {legal age} or {age of majority}. [1913 Webster +PJC]

Note: In some of the States, and for some purposes, a woman attains lawful age at eighteen. --Abbott.

Syn: Legal; constitutional; allowable; regular; rightful.

Usage: {Lawful}, {Legal}. Lawful means conformable to the principle, spirit, or essence of the law, and is applicable to moral as well as juridical law. Legal means conformable to the letter or rules of the law as it is administered in the courts; conformable to juridical law. Legal is often used as antithetical to equitable, but lawful is seldom used in that sense. -- {Law"ful*ly}, adv. -- {Law"ful*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • lawful — law·ful adj 1 a: being in harmony with the law a lawful judgment a lawful purpose b: constituted, authorized, or established by law a lawful duty 2: law abiding …   Law dictionary

  • lawful — lawful, legal, legitimate, licit mean permitted, sanctioned, or recognized by law or the law. Lawful differs from the others in implying a reference to various sorts of law (as divine law, natural law, or the law of the land, or as civil law,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • lawful — law‧ful [ˈlɔːfl ǁ ˈlɒː ] adjective LAW allowed by law; = LEGAL: • The owner has the right to use the property for any lawful purpose. lawfully adverb : • a product that has been lawfully produced in a member state of the European Union… …   Financial and business terms

  • lawful — [lô′fəl] adj. 1. in conformity with the principles of the law; permitted by law [a lawful act]: see also LEGAL (sense 2) 2. recognized by or established by law [lawful debts] 3. obeying the law; law abiding SYN. LEGAL lawfully adv. lawfulness n …   English World dictionary

  • lawful — c.1300, laghful; Cf. O.N. logfullr (see LAW (Cf. law)). Related: Lawfully; lawfulness …   Etymology dictionary

  • lawful — [adj] allowable, legitimate authorized, bona fide, canonical, card carrying*, commanded, condign, constitutional, decreed, due, enacted, enforced, enjoined, established, innocent, judged, judicial, jural, juridical, jurisprudent, just,… …   New thesaurus

  • lawful — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules. DERIVATIVES lawfully adverb lawfulness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • lawful — Legal; warranted or authorized by the law; having the qualifications prescribed by law; not contrary to nor forbidden by the law; not illegal. The principal distinction between the terms lawful and legal is that the former contemplates the… …   Black's law dictionary

  • lawful — Legal; warranted or authorized by the law; having the qualifications prescribed by law; not contrary to nor forbidden by the law; not illegal. The principal distinction between the terms lawful and legal is that the former contemplates the… …   Black's law dictionary

  • lawful — adjective Date: 14th century 1. a. being in harmony with the law < a lawful judgment > b. constituted, authorized, or established by law ; rightful < lawful institutions > 2. law abiding < lawful citizens > • …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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