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lecito

lawful, permissible

adjective LEH-chee-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin licitum, 'allowed'.

Usage Note

Lecito is the formal opposite of illecito ('unlawful'). In everyday speech it also appears in rhetorical questions — è lecito chiedersi… ('one may well ask…') — to politely introduce a challenge or doubt without sounding aggressive.

Examples

"Non tutto ciò che è legale è anche lecito moralmente."

Natural Translation

Not everything that is legal is also morally permissible.

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