leonine
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
connected with one of the popes called Leo
-
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
adjective
Etymology
Origin of leonine
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leonyn, from Latin leōnīnus “lionlike,” equivalent to leōn- (stem of leō) + -īnus; lion, -ine 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.
He comes to the Proms with the Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, to play Mahler's leonine fifth symphony.
From BBC
What could be more leonine than a personal inferno?
From Los Angeles Times
A garment on the ground catches his eye; when he puts it on, a vest with leonine markings that matches the fabric around his waist, he seems imbued with a newfound power and responsibility.
From New York Times
He had a head of “leonine” white hair and an air of nobility.
From Literature
What looked on the picture to be a long, leonine dangling tail with a bob at the end could have been a shadow cast by vegetation.
From Reuters
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.
