The Collaborative International Dictionary
Lawful \Law"ful\, a.
Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent.
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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. Also called legal age or age of majority.
Note: In some of the States, and for some purposes, a woman attains lawful age at eighteen.
--Abbott.Syn: Legal; constitutional; allowable; regular; rightful.
Usage: Lawful, Legal. Lawful means conformable to the principle, spirit, or essence of the law, and is applicable to moral as well as juridical law. Legal means conformable to the letter or rules of the law as it is administered in the courts; conformable to juridical law. Legal is often used as antithetical to equitable, but lawful is seldom used in that sense. -- Law"ful*ly, adv. -- Law"ful*ness, n.
Wiktionary
n. (alternative nameage of majority)
WordNet
Wikipedia
Legal age or codified age refers to age at which a person may legally engage in a certain activity. Most frequently, this is the age of majority, the threshold of adulthood as recognized in law.
Other ages of legal significance include:
- Age of criminal responsibility
- Age of majority
- Age of maturity
- Age of candidacy, the age at which a person can legally qualify to hold certain elected government offices
- Age of consent, the legal age for sexual activities, the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts
- Legal drinking age, the age at which a person is permitted by law to consume alcoholic beverages
- Legal working age, the age at which a person is allowed to work
- Marriageable age, the age at which a person is allowed to marry
- Retirement age
- School leaving age
- Smoking age, the minimum legal age to purchase cigarettes
- Voting age, the minimum legal age to be eligible to vote in a public election