legitimation

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legitimation

/lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ UK

Where it comes from

From Middle English legittimacion, from Middle French legitimacion and its etymon, Medieval Latin lēgitimātiō, lēgitimātiōnem, from lēgitimāre (“to legitimate”), from Latin lēgitimus. By surface analysis, legitimate + -ion.

noun legitimations

uncountable, usually The process of making or declaring a person legitimate. The Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker appeared on the podcast of Aporia, an outlet whose owners advocate for a revival of race science and have spoken of seeking “legitimation by association” by platforming more mainstream figures.
obsolete, uncountable, usually Legitimacy. I am not Sir Roberts sonne, / I haue disclaim'd Sir Robert and my land, / Legitimation, name, and all is gone […].
uncountable, usually The act of establishing something as lawful; authorization. Le Paige established a legitimation for the Parlement's authority which was part history, part romantic fiction, and part political wishful thinking.

Similar: legitimization

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: legitimization

Translations

Every language

noun process of legitimizing

Français	légitimation

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MLA

"legitimation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/legitimation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

legitimation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/legitimation

Chicago

"legitimation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/legitimation.

BibTeX

@misc{legitimation_2026,
  title = {legitimation},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/legitimation},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}