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leonine

[ lee-uh-nahyn ]
/ ˈli əˌnaɪn /
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adjective

of or relating to the lion.
resembling or suggestive of a lion.
(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to Leo, especially Leo IV or Leo XIII.

RELATED WORDS

renowned, preeminent, outstanding, famed, illustrious, distinguished, well-known, noted, prominent, big-name, esteemed, VIP, august, celebrated, conspicuous, dominant, elevated, exalted, grand, great

Nearby words

  1. leoni, raúl,
  2. leonid,
  3. leonidas,
  4. leonides,
  5. leonie,
  6. leonine rhyme,
  7. leonine verse,
  8. leonis,
  9. leonora,
  10. leonore

Origin of leonine

1350–1400; Middle English leonyn < Latin leōnīnus lionlike, equivalent to leōn- (stem of leō lion) + -īnus -ine1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for leonine

British Dictionary definitions for leonine (1 of 2)

leonine

/ (ˈliːəˌnaɪn) /

adjective

of, characteristic of, or resembling a lion

Word Origin for leonine

C14: from Latin leōnīnus, from leō lion

British Dictionary definitions for leonine (2 of 2)

Leonine

/ (ˈliːəˌnaɪn) /

adjective

connected with one of the popes called Leo
Leonine City a district of Rome on the right bank of the Tiber fortified by Pope Leo IV
of or relating to certain prayers in the Mass prescribed by Pope Leo XIII

noun

Also called: Leonine verse
  1. a type of medieval hexameter or elegiac verse having internal rhyme
  2. a type of English verse with internal rhyme
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 leonine

leonine

adj.

"lion-like," late 14c., from Old French leonin or directly from Latin leoninus "belonging to or resembling a lion," from leo (genitive leonis) "lion." Weekley thinks that Leonine verse (1650s), rhymed in the middle as well as the end of the line, probably is from the name of some medieval poet, perhaps Leo, Canon of St. Victor, Paris, 12c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for leonine

leonine

[ lē′ə-nīn ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a lion.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.