Law"ful (?), a. 1.
Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate;
competent.
2. 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.
&fist; In some of the States, and for some purposes, a woman
attains lawful age at eighteen. Abbott.
Syn. -- Legal; constitutional; allowable; regular;
rightful. -- 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.