légal

Légal is an adjective used in French to indicate that something is conforming to the law. It describes actions, statuses, documents, or frameworks that are permitted under current statutes and regulations. In everyday and professional language, légal is contrasted with illégal (illegal). The feminine form is légale, as in durée légale or conformité légale. The noun form, légalité, refers to the state or quality of being legal.

Etymology: Légal comes from Latin legalis, itself from lex, legis (law). The sense has spread from strict criminal-law references to broader administrative and regulatory contexts, including business, property, and public policy. In many Francophone jurisdictions, the idea of legality is tied to formal procedures and recognized authorities.

Usage notes: The phrase cadre légal (legal framework) is common in policy and law. A decision or contract can be légal (legal) or illégal (illegal) depending on compliance with statutes. The terms licite and légal are related but not interchangeable: licite emphasizes permission by law and moral acceptability in some contexts, while légal emphasizes formal compliance. Distinctions also exist with légitimité, which concerns perceived rightness or acceptance by people, rather than strict legality.

See also: légalité; illégalité; légitime; licite. Example: “L’activité est légale tant qu’elle respecte le cadre légal.”