illegal

the word "illegal" is a direct borrowing from late latin 'illegalis', which itself was formed within latin. it is a compound of the negative prefix 'in-' (which assimilates to 'il-' before 'l') and the adjective 'legalis', derived from 'lex' (law). the core logic is straightforward negation: "not legal" or "contrary to law". this latin construction entered english in the late 15th century, retaining its precise, formal sense of describing actions or conditions prohibited by statute or formal rule. the semantic journey is transparent, moving from the literal latin "not of the law" to the modern english abstract concept of unlawfulness.

Structure: il (not) + legal (law) il: a latin prefix meaning "not" or "without", a variant of 'in-' used before 'l'. it functions as a negative prefix. legal: from latin 'legalis', meaning "of or pertaining to the law". it functions as the root or base word.