Leonid

American  

[lee-uh-nid] / ˈli ə nɪd /

noun

Astronomy.

plural

Leonids, Leonides

1. any of a shower of meteors occurring around November 15 and appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo.

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Leonid British  

/ ˈliːənɪd /

noun

1. any member of a meteor shower that is usually insignificant, but more spectacular every 33 years, and occurs annually in mid-November, appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo

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Etymology

Origin of Leonid

1875–80; < New Latin Leonidēs, equivalent to Latin Leōn- (stem of Leō ) Leo + -idēs -id ¹

Example Sentences

As he worked his way in closer, Mercader reported to Leonid Eitignon, a Soviet spymaster who “always appeared to be in control. A glass of cognac would last him an entire evening.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

In the early 1980s, however, the leaders of the two superpowers of that time, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and President Ronald Reagan, teamed up to drive a knife through that particular fantasy.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2025

Three months later his father got a call: Leonid had been left at a city hospital, exhausted and severely dehydrated.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

Arctic air also tends to be cleaner so with some clear skies on Sunday night, there could be a good chance of seeing the Leonid meteor shower.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2024

When it visited the Soviet Union, the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev called Lisa “a plain, sensible-looking woman.”

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day