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leonine

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

of or relating to the lion: We breathlessly watched the pride, in its leonine majesty, as it moved across the veldt.
resembling or suggestive of a lion: the conductor's wild, leonine hair.
(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to Leo, especially Leo IV or Leo XIII.

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Origin of leonine

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leonyn, from Latin leōnīnus “lionlike,” equivalent to leōn- (stem of leō) + -īnus; see origin at lion,-ine1

Words nearby leonine

Leoncavallo, leone, Leoni, Leonid, Leonidas, leonine, leonine rhyme, leonine verse, Leonora, Leonov, leontiasis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to leonine

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

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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

Medical 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.
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