Abstract: Starting from Legrand's opinion according to whom the juridical heritage is deeply embedded in country-specific peculiarities, turning thus the translation of legal material into an extremely challenging task, this paper aims to make the `cultural turn` its core approach. It draws its `sap` from the concept coined by Mary Snell-Hornby which puts culture at the very heart of translation. Neither neopositivist, as André Lefevere defined the term, nor hermeneutic, the current paper focuses on the ongoing evolution of legal terminology seen as a `cross-cultural` construct that has constantly defined itself in organic relationship with the social, ideological and cultural perspective that accommodated its evolution. The triumvirate mentioned in the title refers to the three-angled dimension of the English legal lexicography that brings together Latin, as the `language of record of the common-law courts` (Baker 1998: 10), French, the main linguistic tool of the common-law from the late twelfth century until its official withdrawal as court language in 1731, and English, from vernacular to Middle English, all the way to `plain English`, as defined and supported by former Lord Chief Justice Harry Woolf. Following the recommendations of His-lordship about introducing a simpler, more `user-friendly` legal language, the other scope of this paper is to provide an equally `cultural-turn` oriented kaleidoscopic overview of the Romanian legal terminology, its heritage and current lexicographic identity, in a world of common shared values and interests, but ever-more aware of (cultural) identity.

Key words: cultural turn, legal lexicon, Latin language, lexicography, word origin.