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Leonid

American  
[lee-uh-nid] / ˈli ə nɪd /

noun

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


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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Leonid

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

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.

See Examples For:

Even after 1964, when Leonid Brezhnev halted reforms, persecuted dissidents and presided over what came to be regarded as “the era of stagnation,” the arbitrary arrests of millions did not resume.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

Most of those killed and missing were young women born between 2003 and 2008, according to a list of casualties published by the Moscow-backed governor of occupied Lugansk, Leonid Pasechnik.

From Barron's May 24, 2026

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

The Leonid meteor shower is coming soon, as the knackery renders comet Tempel-Tuttle into something else, and something else again.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

The 10-year-old kept running out of wreaths and had to ask his father, Leonides Magallonmata, an Army drill sergeant, to return to the truck to get more.

From Washington Post Dec. 17, 2022

Book, under name of Andrew, by Naxochristes and Leonides.

From The Freethinker's Text Book, Part II. Christianity: Its Evidences, Its Origin, Its Morality, Its History by Besant, Annie Wood

Leonides, to whom the teachings of Clement had made the Holy Scriptures a very fountain of life and sweetness, made them the principal means of the education of his son.

From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.

The paragraph from Leonides quoted by Aëtius gives a description of operation for cancer of the breast, in which he insists particularly on the extensive removal of tissue and the free use of the cautery.

From Old-Time Makers of Medicine The Story of The Students And Teachers of the Sciences Related to Medicine During the Middle Ages by Walsh, James Joseph

The persecutors were not content with killing Leonides, but seized on all his property, so that the widow was left in great distress, with seven children, of whom Origen was the eldest.

From Sketches of Church History From A.D. 33 to the Reformation by Robertson, James Craigie

Between November 3rd and December 2nd, but especially during the weekend of November 16-17, the Leonids will be unusually easy to see and appreciate, according to the American Meteor Society.

From Salon Nov. 15, 2024

They also show up on balmy summer nights, as opposed to the Leonids and Geminids, which arrive in November and December, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 18, 2024

The next event is the Leonids, which lasts until Dec. 2 but reaches its peak tonight, on Friday, Nov. 17, into the morning of Saturday, Nov. 18.

From New York Times Nov. 17, 2023

"Sometimes we get fireballs as well during the Leonids and they can outshine a star or a planet."

From BBC Nov. 16, 2023

In about thirty-six million-miles, three weeks after the Leonids, Julia Bishop is coming to visit for her Thanksgiving break from school.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

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