Noun: legitimacy li'ji-tu-mu-see
- Lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law
"The legitimacy of the election was questioned by international observers"
- The property of being genuine or valid, not being a fake or forgery
"he hoped his claims would have a semblance of legitimacy";
- authenticity, genuineness
Derived forms: legitimacies
Type of: believability, credibility, credibleness, lawfulness
Antonym: illegitimacy
Encyclopedia: Legitimacy