SOURCE 01supportshistorical dictionary
Law — Word History
Traces English law through a separate Germanic and Scandinavian history.
Word History- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
PERMANENT DISPUTE RECORD
ALL DISPUTES ↗CLAIM / COUNTERCLAIM / LIMITRECORD 19
DISPUTE
RECORD.
One scholarly question. Every attached source. The present editorial state, without pretending the last word has been written.
resolvedestablished
Is legal descended from English law?
No. legal is borrowed through Anglo-French from Latin lēgālis and lēx; English law has a separate Germanic and Scandinavian ancestry.
WORD UNDER REVIEWDISPUTE 19
legal
/ˈliːɡəl/ · adjective · noun
Of law or permitted by law; borrowed through Anglo-French from Latin lēgālis and lēx.
01
DIRECT CLAIM EVIDENCE
2 SOURCES WITH A STANCE
A citation is not a vote. Each record says whether the work supports, challenges, contradicts, or contextualizes the position—and identifies the exact locus used.
SOURCE 02supportshistorical dictionary
Legal — Word History
Traces legal through Latin lēgālis and lex.
Etymology- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
02 / EDITORIAL STATE
THE CURRENT RECORD IS RESOLVED.
- CONFIDENCE
- established
- STATUS
- resolved
- LEGACY SOURCE SUMMARY
- Merriam-Webster: legal; Merriam-Webster: law
The graph models semantic neighbors separately from historical ancestors.