Search the Dictionary

Constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands. Lawful age, the age when the law recognizes one's right of independent action; majority; -- generally the age of twenty-one years.

Not lawful; contrary to law. -- Un*law"ful*ly, adv. -- Un*law"ful*ness, n. Unlawful assembly. (Law) See under Assembly.

Proper to be, or capable of being, allowed; permissible; admissible; not forbidden; not unlawful or improper; as, a certain degree of freedom is allowable among friends.

The quality of being allowable; permissibleness; lawfulness; exemption from prohibition or impropriety. South.

Love making; a love affair; usually, an unlawful connection in love; a love intrigue; an illicit love affair. In amours with, in love with. [Obs.]

To make an assault upon, as by a sudden rush of armed men; to attack with unlawful or insulting physical violence or menaces. Insnared, assaulted, overcome, led bound. Milton.

Begotten and born out of lawful matrimony; illegitimate. See Bastard, n., note.

The law is so indulgent as not to bastardize the child, if born, though not begotten, in lawful wedlock. Blackstone.

The unlawful beating of another. It includes every willful, angry and violent, or negligent touching of another's person or clothes, or anything attached to his person or held by him.

p's company at the time of her leaving port. -- Bill of indictment, a written accusation lawfully presented to a grand jury. If the jury consider the evidence sufficient to support the accusation, they indorse it "A true bill," or "Not found," or "Ignoramus", or "Ignored." -- Bill of lading, a written account of goods…

A member of that party, among the Scotch seceders, which asserted the lawfulness of the burgess oath (in which burgesses profess "the true religion professed within the realm"), the opposite party being called antiburghers.

his mother's body. Shak. Carnal knowledge, sexual intercourse; -- used especially of an unlawful act on the part of the man.

es of conscience, of resolving questions of right or wrong in conduct, or determining the lawfulness or unlawfulness of what a man may do by rules and principles drawn from the Scriptures, from the laws of society or the church, or from equity and natural reason; the application of general moral rules to particular cas…

Pure from unlawful sexual intercourse; virtuous; continent. "As chaste as Diana." Shak. Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounced. Milton.

The state of being chaste; purity of body; freedom from unlawful sexual intercourse. She . . . hath preserved her spotless chastity. T. Carew.

An unlawful agreement or contract.

An unlawful bargain; traffic in which money is exported as discount. [Obs.] Bacon.

of defense in the action of replevin, by which the defendant insists that the goods were lawfully taken, as a distress, by defendant, acting as servant for another. [Eng.] Cowell. Mozley & W.

s.] Instruct my daughter how she shall persever, That time and place, with this deceit so lawful, May prove coherent. Shak.

Unlawful support, countenance, or encouragement; as, to give aid and comfort to the enemy.