Hypertext Webster Gateway: "legitimacy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Legitimacy \Le*git"i*ma*cy\ (-[i^]*m[.a]*s[y^]), n. [See
{Legitimate}, a.]
The state, or quality, of being legitimate, or in conformity
with law; hence, the condition of having been lawfully
begotten, or born in wedlock.
The doctrine of Divine Right, which has now come back
to us, like a thief from transportation, under the
alias of Legitimacy. --Macaulay.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
legitimacy
n 1: lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance
with law [ant: {illegitimacy}]
2: undisputed credibility [syn: {authenticity}, {genuineness}]
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