legale

Legale is the Italian adjective meaning legal, lawful, or permitted under the law. It describes things related to law or the administration of justice, as in attività legale, documento legale, or sistema legale. The term can also refer to status or conditions that comply with statutory norms, such as an act, contract, or organization operating within the framework of the law.

Etymology and cognates: Legale derives from Latin legalis, from lex, legis “law.” It entered Italian through Latin and the broader Romance-language tradition. The word has cognates in many languages, reflecting a common legal vocabulary across Europe.

Usage and nuance: In everyday and professional Italian, legale appears in phrases such as norma legale (legal norm), procedura legale (legal procedure), and atto legale (legal act). In corporate or administrative contexts, terms like ente legale or persona giuridica denote a legally recognized entity or person. Legale marks conformity with the law; it does not by itself convey ethical judgments, which may be expressed with terms like lecito (permissible) or etico (ethical).

Distinctions: Illegale means illegal, opposite to legale. Lecito refers to what is permissible or allowed by law, and may carry additional connotations beyond mere legality depending on context.

See also: legge, diritto, norma, persona giuridica.