legend

[ lej-uhnd ]

/ ˈlɛdʒ ənd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR legend ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.

the body of stories of this kind, especially as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan: the winning of the West in American legend.

an inscription, especially on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.

a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used.Compare key¹(def 8).

Numismatics. inscription(def 8).

a collection of stories about an admirable person.

a person who is the center of such stories: She became a legend in her own lifetime.

Archaic. a story of the life of a saint, especially one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.

Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.

Nearby words

Origin of legend

1300–50; 1900–05 for def 4; Middle English legende written account of a saint's life < Medieval Latin legenda literally, (lesson) to be read, noun use of feminine of Latin legendus, gerund of legere to read; so called because appointed to be read on respective saints' days

SYNONYMS FOR legend

1 Legend, fable, myth refer to fictitious stories, usually handed down by tradition (although some fables are modern). Legend, originally denoting a story concerning the life of a saint, is applied to any fictitious story, sometimes involving the supernatural, and usually concerned with a real person, place, or other subject: the legend of the Holy Grail. A fable is specifically a fictitious story (often with animals or inanimate things as speakers or actors) designed to teach a moral: a fable about industrious bees. A myth is one of a class of stories, usually concerning gods, semidivine heroes, etc., current since primitive times, the purpose of which is to attempt to explain some belief or natural phenomenon: the Greek myth about Demeter.

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ANTONYMS FOR legend

1 fact.

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Related formspre·leg·end, noun, adjective

Can be confusedfable legend myth (see synonym study at the current entry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for legend

Founded by German monks in present-day Old Town Stockholm, Zum Franziskaner has become a legend amongst locals and tourists.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without proof of this kind, the story of the lost legions is just a legend.
The Chinese Town Descended From Romans?|Nina Strochlic|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The last straw was when Congressman John Lewis—the Civil Rights legend—came out in support of Hillary Clinton in October 2007.
The Valerie Jarrett I Know: How She Saved the Obama Campaign and Why She’s Indispensable|Joshua DuBois|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was also an autodidact, an illegitimate girl from the provinces whose intelligence became the stuff of legend.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That, too, is the test for Cadillac—to resuscitate a legend.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to the Talmudic legend like Moses and other saints.
Stories and Pictures|Isaac Loeb Peretz
For five thousand years, so the legend ran, this diamond had been one of the most precious treasures of Asia.
Cyrus Hall McCormick|Herbert Newton Casson
Concerning Peter and Paul, the increase of the legend was rich and rapid.
English Conferences of Ernest Renan|Ernest Renan
It was the opinion of some that this might be the wild huntsman, famous in German legend.
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.|Washington Irving
The river, the fountain, and the aged oak, each had its legend and its observance of unknown antiquity.
History of Religion|Allan Menzies

British Dictionary definitions for legend

legend

/ (ˈlɛdʒənd) /

noun

a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained

a group of such storiesthe Arthurian legend

a modern story that has taken on the characteristics of a traditional legendary tale

a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits

an inscription or title, as on a coin or beneath a coat of arms

explanatory matter accompanying a table, map, chart, etc

a story of the life of a saint
a collection of such stories

Derived Formslegendry, noun

Word Origin for legend

C14 (in the sense: a saint's life or a collection of saints' lives): from Medieval Latin legenda passages to be read, from Latin legere to read

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for legend

legend

early 14c., "narrative dealing with a happening or an event," from Old French legende (12c., Modern French légende) and directly from Medieval Latin legenda "legend, story," literally "(things) to be read," on certain days in church, etc., from Latin legendus, neuter plural gerundive of legere "to read, gather, select" (see lecture (n.)).

Used originally of saints' lives; extended sense of "nonhistorical or mythical story" first recorded late 14c. Meaning "writing or inscription" (especially on a coin or medal) is from 1610s; on a map, illustration, etc., from 1903.