different between good vs legal

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: go?od, IPA^(key): /??d/
• (General American) IPA^(key): [???d], [???d]
• (AAVE) enPR: go?o(d), IPA^(key): /??(d)/
• Rhymes: -?d

Etymology 1

From Middle English good, from Old English g?d, from Proto-West Germanic *g?d, from Proto-Germanic *g?daz, from Proto-Indo-European *g?ed?- (“to unite, be associated, suit”). Cognate with Russian ??????? (gódnyj, “fit, well-suited, good for; (coll.) good”), ??? (god), "year", via "suitable time". Not related to the word god.

Alternative forms

• g’d (poetic contraction)
• goode (obsolete)

Adjective

good (comparative better, superlative best)

1. (of people)
   1. Acting in the interest of what is beneficial, ethical, or moral.
      • 1460-1500, The Towneley Plays?

        It is not good to be alone, to walk here in this worthly wone.

      • 1500?, Evil Tongues?

        If any man would begin his sins to reny, or any good people that frae vice deed rest ain. What so ever he were that to virtue would apply, But an ill tongue will all overthrow again.

      • 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ch.6

        When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.

   2. Competent or talented.
      • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

        And Marsha says I am a good cook!

   3. Able to be depended on for the discharge of obligations incurred; of unimpaired credit; used with for.

   4. Well-behaved (especially of children or animals).

   5. (US) Satisfied or at ease

   6. (archaic) Of high rank or birth.
2. (of capabilities)
   1. Useful for a particular purpose; functional.
      • 1526, Herball?

        Against cough and scarceness of breath caused of cold take the drink that it hath been sodden in with Liquorice[,] or that the powder hath been sodden in with dry figs[,] for the same the electuary called dyacalamentum is good[,] and it is made thus.
   2. Effective.

      • There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   3. (obsolete) Real; actual; serious.

      • Love no man in good earnest.

3. (properties and qualities)
   1. (of food)
      1. Edible; not stale or rotten.

      2. Having a particularly pleasant taste.
         • c. 1430 (reprinted 1888), Thomas Austin, ed., Two Fifteenth-century Cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with Extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55 [Early English Text Society, Original Series; 91], London: N. Trübner & Co. for the Early English Text Society, volume I, OCLC 374760, page 11:

           Soupes dorye. — Take gode almaunde mylke […] caste þher-to Safroun an Salt […]

         • 1962 (quoting 1381 text), Hans Kurath & Sherman M. Kuhn, eds., Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978-0-472-01044-8, page 1242:

           dorr??, d?r? adj. & n. […] cook. glazed with a yellow substance; pome(s ~, sopes ~. […] 1381 Pegge Cook. Recipes page 114: For to make Soupys dorry. Nym onyons […] Nym wyn […] toste wyte bred and do yt in dischis, and god Almande mylk.

      3. Being satisfying; meeting dietary requirements.

   2. Healthful.

   3. Pleasant; enjoyable.

   4. Favourable.

   5. Unblemished; honourable.

   6. Beneficial; worthwhile.
   7. Adequate; sufficient; not fallacious.

      • My reasons are both good and weighty.
4. (colloquial, when with and) Very, extremely. See good and.

5. Holy (especially when capitalized) .

6. (of quantities)
   1. Reasonable in amount.

   2. Large in amount or size.

      • The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line, which seems to have shown some ingenuity in avoiding them, […].

   3. Full; entire; at least as much as.

Usage notes

The comparative gooder and superlative goodest are nonstandard.In informal (often jocular) contexts, best may be inflected further and given the comparative bester and the superlative bestest; these forms are also nonstandard.

Synonyms

• (having positive attributes): not bad, all right, satisfactory, decent, see also Thesaurus:good
• (healthful): well
• (competent or talented): accomplished
• (acting in the interest of good; ethical): See Thesaurus:goodness

Antonyms

• (having positive attributes): bad, poor
• (ethical): bad, evil

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

good

1. That is good; an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation.

   Good! I can leave now.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English goode (“good, well”, adverb), from the adjective. Compare Dutch goed (“good, well”, adverb), German gut (“good, well”, adverb), Danish godt (“good, well”, adverb), Swedish godt (“good, well”, adverb), all from the adjective.

Adverb

good (comparative better, superlative best)

1. (nonstandard) Well; satisfactorily or thoroughly.

   The boy done good. (did well)

   • 2007 April 19, Jimmy Wales, “Jimmy Wales on the User-Generated Generation”, Fresh Air, WHYY, Pennsylvania [1]

     The one thing that we can't do...is throw out the baby with the bathwater.... We know our process works pretty darn good and, uh, it’s really sparked this amazing phenomenon of this...high-quality website.

Derived terms

• but good
• a good many

Etymology 3

From Middle English good, god, from Old English g?d (“a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good, goodness, welfare; virtue, ability, doughtiness; goods, property, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *g?d? (“goods, belongings”), from Proto-Indo-European *g?ed?-, *g?od?- (“to unite, be associated, suit”). Compare German Gut (“item of merchandise; estate; property”).

Noun

good (countable and uncountable, plural goods)

1. (uncountable) The forces or behaviours that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence.

   Antonyms: bad, evil

2. (countable) A result that is positive in the view of the speaker.

   Antonym: bad

3. (uncountable) The abstract instantiation of goodness; that which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc.

   He is an influence for good on those girls.

   • There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

   • 1788, John Jay, The Federalist Papers No. 64:

     […] the government must be a weak one indeed, if it should forget that the good of the whole can only be promoted by advancing the good of each of the parts or members which compose the whole.

4. (countable, usually in the plural) An item of merchandise.

   • Thy lands and goods / Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate / Unto the state of Venice.

Derived terms

• (item of merchandise): capital goods, consumer goods

Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English goden, godien, from Old English g?dian (“to improve, get better; make better; endow, enrich”), from Proto-West Germanic *g?d?n (“to make better, improve”), from Proto-Germanic *g?daz (“good, favourable”).

Verb

good (third-person singular simple present goods, present participle gooding, simple past and past participle gooded)

1. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve.
2. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To make good; turn to good; improve.
3. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To make improvements or repairs.
4. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To benefit; gain.
5. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To do good to (someone); benefit; cause to improve or gain.
6. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To satisfy; indulge; gratify.
7. (reflexive, now chiefly dialectal) To flatter; congratulate oneself; anticipate.

Derived terms

• gooding

Etymology 5

From English dialectal, from Middle English *goden, of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish göda (“to fatten, fertilise, battle”), Danish gøde (“to fertilise, battle”), ultimately from the adjective. See above.

Verb

good (third-person singular simple present goods, present participle gooding, simple past and past participle gooded)

1. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal, Scotland) To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise.
   • April 5 1628, Bishop Joseph Hall, The Blessings, Sins, and Judgments of God's Vineyard

     Nature was like itself , in it , in the world : God hath taken it in from the barren downs , and gooded it : his choice did not find , but make it thus

Derived terms

• goodening

Further reading

• good at OneLook Dictionary Search
• good in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• good in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Dutch Low Saxon

Adjective

good

1. good

Limburgish

Etymology

From Middle Dutch goet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?o??d], [?o??t]

Adjective

good (comparative baeter, superlative bès, predicative superlative 't 't bès)

1. good

Inflection

Middle English

Alternative forms

• god

Etymology

From Old English g?d.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?o?d/
• Rhymes: -o?d

Adjective

good (plural and weak singular goode, comparative bettre, superlative best)

1. good (of good quality or behaviour)
2. good (morally right or righteous)
   • 14th c., Chaucer, General Prologue:

3. advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful
4. large; of a great size or quantity
5. Having a great degree or extent.

Descendants

• English: good
• Scots: guid
• Yola: gooude, gayde

References

• “g??d, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-17.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis (“legal”), from l?x (“law”). Doublet of loyal and leal.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?li?.??l/
• Rhymes: -i???l
• (US) IPA^(key): /?li??l/

Adjective

legal (comparative more legal, superlative most legal)

1. Relating to the law or to lawyers.

2. Having its basis in the law.

3. Being allowed or prescribed by law.

4. (informal) Above the age of consent or the legal drinking age.
5. (US, Canada) (of paper or document layouts) Measuring 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm) (also legal-size).

Antonyms

• (allowed): banned, contraband, disallowed, forbidden, illegal, outlawed, unlawful
• (concerning law): black-market, back-alley
• (over age of consent): underage

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

legal (countable and uncountable, plural legals)

1. (uncountable, informal) The legal department of a company.

   Legal wants this in writing.

2. (uncountable, US, Canada) Paper in sheets 8½ in × 14 in (215.9 mm × 355.6 mm).
3. (countable) A spy who is attached to, and ostensibly employed by, an embassy, military outpost, etc.
4. (countable, informal, US) Somebody who immigrated lawfully.

   Antonyms: illegal, undocumented

Derived terms

• legal-size

Anagrams

• Galle, egall

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis. Compare the inherited doublet lleial.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /l???al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /le??al/

Adjective

legal (masculine and feminine plural legals)

1. legal

   Antonym: il·legal

Derived terms

• legalitzar
• legalment

Related terms

• legalitat
• llei
• lleial

Further reading

• “legal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “legal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “legal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “legal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis (“legal”), from l?x (“law”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le?a?l/, [le???æ??l]

Adjective

legal

1. legal (something that conforms to or is according to law)
2. legitimate (conforming to accepted rules)

Inflection

Synonyms

• (legal): lovlig
• (legitimate): legitim

Antonyms

• (legal): illegal

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis. Compare leal.

Adjective

legal m or f (plural legais)

1. legal (having its basis in the law)

Antonyms

• ilegal

Derived terms

• legalmente

See also

• lícito

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis (“legal”), from l?x (“law”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [le???a?l]
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

legal (not comparable)

1. legal

Declension

Antonyms

• illegal

Further reading

• “legal” in Duden online

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch legaal (“legal”), from French légal, from Latin l?g?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l??al]
• Hyphenation: lè?gal

Adjective

legal

1. legal, allowed or prescribed by law.

Derived terms

Further reading

• “legal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis (“legal”), from l?x (“law”). Compare leal, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /l?.??a?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /le.??aw/

Adjective

legal m or f (plural legais, comparable)

1. legal
2. (Brazil, familiar) cool, nice, good

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:legal.

Synonyms

• (legal): lícito
• (Portugal, cool): fixe

Antonyms

• (legal): ilegal
• (cool): chato

Derived terms

• legalmente

Related terms

• ilegal
• legalidade

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French légal, Latin legalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le??al/

Adjective

legal m or n (feminine singular legal?, masculine plural legali, feminine and neuter plural legale)

1. legal, lawful

Declension

Synonyms

• licit

Antonyms

• ilegal
• ilicit

Related terms

• legalitate
• lege
• legitim

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?g?lis, from l?x (“law”). Compare leal, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le??al/, [le???al]

Adjective

legal (plural legales)

1. legal, statutory

   Antonym: ilegal

2. lawful
3. (colloquial) legit

Derived terms

• alegal
• legalmente

Related terms

• ilegal
• legalidad
• ley

Further reading

• “legal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin legalis.

Adjective

legal (not comparable)

1. legal

Declension

Related terms

• illegal
• legalitet
• legitim