legend
Americannoun
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a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.
- Antonyms:
- fact
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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.
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an inscription, especially on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.
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a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used.
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Numismatics. inscription.
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a collection of stories about an admirable person.
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a person who is the center of such stories.
She became a legend in her own lifetime.
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Archaic. a story of the life of a saint, especially one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.
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Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.
noun
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a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained
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a group of such stories
the Arthurian legend
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a modern story that has taken on the characteristics of a traditional legendary tale
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a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits
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an inscription or title, as on a coin or beneath a coat of arms
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explanatory matter accompanying a table, map, chart, etc
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a story of the life of a saint
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a collection of such stories
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Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- legendry noun
- prelegend noun
Etymology
Origin of legend
First recorded in 1300–50; 1900–05 legend for def. 4; Middle English legende “written account of a saint's life,” from 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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 65 million concurrent viewers for the Nov. 15, 2024, fight between the YouTube star and the boxing legend was more than Netflix prepared for.
Acquiring the semiautonomous Danish territory would further elevate his claims to greatness and the status of legend in his own contorted reality.
From Salon
Ironically, alongside Darren Fletcher, who he is the leading candidate to replace as interim manager, the 44-year-old played for the club in a legends game at Celtic in September.
From BBC
A con artist, a music-industry legend and the feud over a masterpiece.
From MarketWatch
Late night legend David Letterman was an anchor of the CBS lineup for over two decades, and he can’t keep quiet about what he’s seeing from the network’s news division.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
