Word part · Latin root
Leg root words: meaning and 15 examples
In short
The Latin root leg (from Latin) means "law". It is also spelled legis. Words with it include legal, legally, legality, legalities, illegally and illegality. Has nothing to do with the leg you walk on.
- Part
- leg
- Meaning
- law
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- legis
- Words listed
- 15
Has nothing to do with the leg you walk on. Legal, illegal and legislation are all about laws.
Words with the Latin root leg
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| legal | leg (root or base)+al (suffix)→legal | allowed by the law |
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| legally | leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ly (suffix)→legally | in a way the law allows |
| legalist | leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ist (suffix)→legalist | a person who sticks to the exact words of a law |
| illegal | il (prefix)+legal (root or base)→illegalthe prefix changes to match | not legal; against the law |
More words: legislate, privilege
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| legality | leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ity (suffix)→legality | whether something is allowed by law |
| legalities | leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ity (suffix)+es (suffix)→legalitieschange y to i | the rules of the law about something |
| illegally | il (prefix)+leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ly (suffix)→illegallythe prefix changes to match | in a way that breaks the law |
| illegality | il (prefix)+leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ity (suffix)→illegalitythe prefix changes to match | the state of being against the law |
| illegalities | il (prefix)+leg (root or base)+al (suffix)+ity (suffix)+es (suffix)→illegalitiesthe prefix changes to match, then change y to i | acts that break the law |
More words: legislation, legislature, legislator, legitimate
Where does leg sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- legal, legally, legality, legalities, legalist
- In the middle:
- illegally, illegality, illegalities
How do you teach the root leg?
Write legal and illegal side by side. Students know these from games and news, so ask them to define both, then point to the shared part. Leg here means law. Next show legislation and legislature and tell the student these are the law makers and the laws they make. Spend a minute on the double l in illegal: the prefix in turned into il to match the l of leg.
A quick routine
Say, "This leg means law. It has nothing to do with the leg you stand on." Show legal, legally, legality, illegal and illegally. The student reads each, covers the prefix and suffixes with fingers to find leg, and says one sentence about a rule at school using the word. Close by spelling illegally from dictation; the two l pairs are where most students slip.
What do students mix up with leg?
The body word leg is the obvious trap, and students enjoy laughing at it, which helps them remember. A quieter trap is legend, legible and lecture. Those come from a different Latin root that means read or choose, which has its own page here. If law fits the meaning, it is this root. If reading or choosing fits, send the student to lect.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root leg mean?
Leg means "law". It is a Latin root, also spelled legis. Has nothing to do with the leg you walk on. Legal, illegal and legislation are all about laws.
What are some words with the root leg?
Start with legal. Then move to legally, legalist, legality and legalities. This page lists 15 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Why does illegal have two l's?
The prefix in (not) changes to il before a part that starts with l. So in plus legal becomes illegal, and the first l belongs to the prefix while the second belongs to legal.
Related word parts
- lectchoose, gather, or read
- in-not
- juslaw, or what is right
- -alhaving to do with
- -itythe state or quality of
- -lyin a certain way
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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