legitiimsed

Legitiimsed is an Estonian adjective form meaning legitimate or legally valid when describing a plural noun. It is the plural nominative form of legitiimne, with the -sed ending marking plurality. In Estonian, adjectives agree with the noun in number and case, so legitiimsed is used with plural nouns in the nominative case. Examples: legitiimsed argumendid — legitimate arguments; legitiimsed õigused — legitimate rights.

Semantics and usage: The term covers several related ideas. Juriidiline legitiimsus refers to a status recognized by law; moraalne legitiimsus refers to moral or ethical acceptability; sotsiaalne legitiimsus denotes social acceptance or legitimacy within a community. In political science and law contexts, legitiimsus is often discussed alongside legality (juriidiline seaduslikkus) and legal authority.

Derivation and related terms: legitiimne stems from the concept of legitimacy, with cognates in many European languages, such as French légitime and English legitimate. Related Estonian terms include legitiimsus (legitimacy) and legitimatsioon (legitimation).

See also: legitiimsus, legitimatsioon, õiguspärasus, seaduslikkus.