Meanings
inlaw1
present singular third person inlaws · participle present inlawing · participle past inlawed · past inlawed
- UKhistoricaltransitivelawTo clear of outlawry or attainder, to return to the protection of the law
1 more example
The king, indignant that an attempt should be made to exempt the vast ecclesiastical lands from taxation at a time of national crisis, sequestrated the estates of the see of Canterbury, and copied John’s conduct in 1208 by outlawing the whole body of the clergy. Winchelsea in return excommunicated all those who refused to recognize the authority of the pope’s bull... Harassed by these domestic troubles, the king could not carry out his intention of sailing for Flanders in the spring, and spent the greater part of the campaigning season in wrangles with his subjects. He was obliged to come to a compromise. If the clergy would give him a voluntary gift, which was in no way to be considered a tax, he agreed to inlaw them.
1911, Charles William Chadwick Oman, "English History", Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. IX, p. 497
inlaw2
plural inlaws
- One who is within the domain or protection of the law.
Antonyms: outlaw
inlaw3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who is within the domain or protection of the law.
Origin
inlaw · verb
- Old Englishinlagian
- Middle Englishinlawen
- Englishinlaw
From Middle English inlawen, inlaghen, from Old English inlagian, ġeinlagian (“to restore to the protection of the law, inlaw”), equivalent to in- + law.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →inlaw · noun
- Middle Englishinlaghe
- Englishinlaw
From Middle English inlaghe, inlage, from the verb (see above).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with inlaw
Anagrams
Cite this entry
inlaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inlaw
“inlaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inlaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inlaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inlaw.
Source: inlaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.