legitimierten

Legitimierten is the Präteritum (simple past) form of the German verb legitimieren. Legitimieren means to confer legitimacy, authorize, or validate someone’s rights or status. The term is commonly used in legal, administrative, and historical contexts, and it can describe the act of recognizing something as legitimate or granting formal authorization.

In modern usage, legitimieren is a regular verb. Present tense forms include ich legitimisiere, du legitimierst, er legitimiert, wir legitimieren, ihr legitimiert, sie legitimieren. The Präteritum forms include ich legitimierte, du legitimiertest, er legitimierte, wir legitimierten, ihr legitimiertet, sie legitimierten. Therefore, the specific form legitimierten appears in sentences such as “Wir legitimierten den Antrag” or “Sie legitimierten die Erlaubnis.” The past participle is legitimiert and is used in perfect tenses, e.g., “Wir haben die Genehmigung legitimiert.”

Etymology traces legitimieren to Latin legitimus (lawful, proper) via French légitimer and related Germanic developments. The concept is closely tied to legality and rightful authority. Legitimierung is the corresponding noun form, referring to the process or act of granting legitimacy or authorization. In contrast to legitimieren, the related term legalisieren emphasizes bringing something into compliance with the law or formal legality, which can be broader or more technical.

See also: legitimacy, legitim, Legitimierung. Examples of usage are common in administrative language, treaty and grant documents, and historical accounts describing how authorities recognized individuals, offices, or permissions as legitimate.