English
illegality
Illegality comes from Medieval Latin illegālis ‘illegal’, from Latin legālis ‘legal’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks1‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElex2‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegālis3‘legal’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500illegālis3‘illegal’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentillégal4
- Frenchc. 1600–presentillégalité5
- Englishearliest quotation 2020illegality5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin lex
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin legalis
- 3 Wiktionary, French illégal
- 4 Wiktionary, French illégalité
- 5 Wiktionary, English illegality
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, Douglas G. Morris, The Ernst Fraenkel Dilemma: “In Fraenkel’s defiance of mortality and professionalism and his…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksWiktionary, Latin lex‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElexWiktionary, Latin legalis‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegālisWiktionary, French illégal‘legal’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500illegālisWiktionary, French illégal‘illegal’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentillégalWiktionary, French illégalité
- Frenchc. 1600–presentillégalitéWiktionary, English illegality
- Englishearliest quotation 2020illegalityWiktionary, English illegality. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, Douglas G. Morris, The Ernst Fraenkel Dilemma: “In Fraenkel’s defiance of mortality and professionalism and his…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lawyer, lie, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, lair, ledge, lawless, lees, underlay, leaguer, lig, lagan, lias, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lex ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
college, lay, legacy, loyalty, colleague, delegation, lex, delegate, collegiate, relegate, legate, collegium, 7 more
through Latin legālis ‘legal’
Today it means
noun the state of being illegal
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “illegality”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin lex, Latin legalis, French illégal, French illégalité. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / illegality