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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Lawful \Law"ful\, adjective
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. Also called {legal age} or {age of majority}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
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}, adverb -- {Law"ful*ness}, noun
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
lawfully
adverb
1: in a manner acceptable to common custom; "you cannot do this legitimately!" [syn: {legitimately}, {licitly}] [ant: {illegitimately}, {illegally}, {illegitimately}]
2: by law; conforming to the law; "we are lawfully wedded now" [syn: {legally}, {wrongfully}, {de jure}] [ant: {unlawfully}]
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