legend

noun

leg·​end ˈle-jənd 

1

a

: a story coming down from the past

especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

the legend of a lost continent

Arthurian legends

b

: a body of such stories

a place in the legend of the frontier

c

: a popular myth of recent origin

the legend of the Loch Ness monster

d

: a person or thing that inspires legends

a baseball legend

e

: the subject of a legend

its violence was legend even in its own time

—William Broyles Jr.

2

a

: an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)

The quarter bore the legend "In God We Trust."

b

: caption sense 2b

The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.

c

: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

Synonyms

• key

Examples of legend in a Sentence

I don't believe the legends I've heard about this forest.

the legend of a lost continent

He has become a baseball legend.

The gravestone bears the legend “Rest in Peace.”

Recent Examples on the Web

According to widespread reports, the kid is six foot seven, already taller than some Miami Heat players, including 305 legend Dwyane Wade. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

The force has become a kind of religious legend that spans through all these movies. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

According to other Hindu legends, all nine planets of Vedic astrology are said to live in the belly of the god Ganesha or in the tail of the god Hanuman. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The Ojibwe have various legends and stories surrounding eclipses. —Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024

Now, multiple outlets have reported that the comedy legend is set to return on Jimmy Fallon’s iteration of the show, with a guest appearance scheduled for April 9. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

Jones' son Shaun Cassidy, 65, documented the events on social media, sharing a photo of him and his brothers — Patrick Cassidy, 62, and Ryan Cassidy, 58 — posing with the Hollywood legend. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

The first blast took place Feb. 15 on the steel-truss bridge with its recognizable triple arches — the former Broadway Bridge renamed after the KC sports legend. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024

And so legend suggests this is a dragon taking a bite out of the sun. —Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English legende, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin, feminine of legendus, gerundive of legere to gather, select, read; akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing legend

• the stuff of legend
• a legend in one's own time
• living legend
• urban legend

Kids Definition

legend

noun

leg·​end ˈlej-ənd 

1

: a story coming down from the past whose truth is popularly accepted but cannot be checked

2

a

: writing or a title on an object

b

: caption sense 2

c

: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

Etymology

Middle English legende "a legend," derived from Latin legenda "something to be read," derived from earlier legere "to gather, read"

Word Origin

The Latin verb legere originally meant "to gather." In time the verb came to mean "to gather with the eye, to see," and that led to the sense "to read." From this verb came the Latin noun legenda, used in the Middle Ages to mean "a thing to be read." Legenda was used to refer in particular to stories about the lives of saints. Many such stories were written in the Middle Ages, and they often included fiction along with fact. Because of that, when legenda was borrowed into English as legend, it came to mean "a story coming down from the past which may or may not be entirely true."