légales

Légales is the feminine plural form of the French adjective légal. It is used to describe things that relate to law, or that are required or permitted by law, and it commonly modifies feminine nouns such as obligations légales, procédures légales, ou règles légales.

Etymology and nuance: the term comes from Latin legalis, through Old French, and shares a common root with the English word legal. In French, légal distinguishes what belongs to the law from what is illegal; it is often contrasted with licite (permitted by law) and with illégal (illegal). The plural form légales appears whenever the modified noun is feminine and plural.

Usage and examples: légales is frequent in legal, administrative, financial, and business language. Common collocations include obligations légales, droits légaux, documents légaux, et prérequis légales. The noun légalité refers to the quality or state of being legal (legality), while législatif relates to legislation.

Web and administrative context: in France and some francophone regions, the phrase mentions légales denotes the legal notices required on a website or business document. Such mentions outline identifying information, responsibility, data protection, and other statutory requirements; the exact obligations vary by jurisdiction.

See also: droit, législation, légalité, procédure légale, mentions légales, licite, illégal.