le‧git‧i‧mize (also legitimise British English) /lɪˈdʒɪtəmaɪz, lɪˈdʒɪtɪmaɪz/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: Latin; Origin: legitimus; ⇒ legitimate]

1. to make something that is unfair or morally wrong seem acceptable and right:
There is a danger that these films legitimize violence.

2. to make something official or legal:
Acceptance by the UN would effectively legitimize the regime.

3. when parents legitimize a child, they get married so that the child becomes legitimate¹(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲