legitimacy

[Eng. legitim a (te); -cy; Fr. légitimité; Sp. legitim i dad; Ital. legit tim ità.] [LEGITIMATE, α. ] 1. The quality or state of being legitimate or in conformity with the law; lawfulne ; opposed to illegality . 2. The quality or state of being legitimate: law fulne of birth; opposed to bastardy or illegiti macy: 3. Genuinene ; opposed to spuriousne . "The legitimacy or reality of these marine bodies vindicated, I now inquire by what means they were hurried out of the ocean." - Woodward: On Fo ils. 4. Conformity with correct reasoning; correctne of a syllogism. 1. Of or pertaining to a legion or legions; included of logical sequence or deduction; as, the legitimacy in a legion. fate, fat, färe, amidst, what, fall, legitimist