legal age

legal age
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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  • legal age — n: an age at which a person becomes entitled under the law to engage in a particular activity or becomes responsible for particular acts the legal age for drinking in this state; broadly: age of majority compare age of consent …   Law dictionary

  • Legal age — can refer to any of a number of ages of legal significance, including: * age of candidacy * age of consent * age of criminal responsibility * age of majority * legal drinking age * marriageable age * minimum driving age * voting age * smoking age …   Wikipedia

  • legal\ age — • legal age • lawful age the age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. In most states the legal age for voting is 27. He could not get a driver s license because he was not of lawful age …   Словарь американских идиом

  • legal age — n. the age at which a person acquires full legal rights and responsibilities; majority …   English World dictionary

  • legal age — or[lawful age] The age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. * /In most states the legal age for voting is 27./ * /He could not get a driver s license because he was not of lawful age./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • legal age — or[lawful age] The age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. * /In most states the legal age for voting is 27./ * /He could not get a driver s license because he was not of lawful age./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • legal age — le·gal age lē gəl n the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills) …   Medical dictionary

  • legal age — The age of majority, that is, the age, usually fixed by law at 21 years, at 18 years for females in some jurisdictions, at which an infant acquires the capacity to bind himself by contract, make conveyances and transfers of property, and conduct… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • legal age — Synonyms and related words: adulthood, adultness, age of consent, driving age, flower of age, full age, full bloom, full growth, fullgrownness, grown upness, legalis homo, majority, manhood, manlihood, mature age, maturity, prime, prime of life,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • legal age — noun Date: 1762 the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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