Where does “legal” come from?

Legal comes from Latin legalis, formed from Latin lēg- (from Proto-Italic lēg-) combined with the suffix -alis, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-.

legal (English): Relating to the law or to lawyers; Having its...

Definitions

  1. Relating to the law or to lawyers; Having its...

Ancestry of “legal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlēgālislegal
2Latinlēxa proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill
3Proto-Italiclēg-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-s—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

Words derived from “legal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-s →Every word from Proto-Italic lēg- →