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.
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 • Mar. 29, 2024
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 • Jul. 21, 2023
The series was created by American writer David Jenkins and produced by the prolific Taika Waititi, who also stars as Blackbeard, to whom he brings a leonine grace.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2022
She restrains from belting these lines out with her usual, leonine force, finding delicate new tones that double down on the song's devastating emotional impact.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2021
They moved like a silent grieving army, and all who saw them drew back in fear and awe at the looks on their leonine faces.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
