\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.
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}, adv. -- {Law"ful*ness}, n.