Leonid

noun

Le·​o·​nid ˈlē-ə-nid How to pronounce Leonid (audio)
plural Leonids or Leonides lē-ˈä-nə-ˌdēz How to pronounce Leonid (audio)
: any of the meteors in a meteor shower occurring every year about November 14

Examples of Leonid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images President Richard Nixon and Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev watch as U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger signs the SALT weapons treaty on May 26, 1972 in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2023 Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev called on Washington to join in enforcing the cease-fire, threatening that Moscow would act on its own if the United States balked. Norman Kempster, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023 How to Watch the Leonid Meteor Shower The full Leonid meteor shower runs from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2, and reaches peak activity overnight and into the early morning from Nov. 17 to 18. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023 One such Leonid storm took place in 1966, when thousands of meteors streaked across the sky during a 15-minute period, according to NASA. Denise Chow, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023 However, a truly prolific Leonid storm may not occur until 2099, per the American Meteor Society. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023 Possible challengers include the longtime Communist Party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, who is 79, and the leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, Leonid Slutsky, 55. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023 Later is the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, which isn’t normally much to get excited about yet does occasionally bring something unforgettable. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023 Photograph: Leonid Sorokin/Getty Images With little fanfare, the European Union has launched a huge climate experiment. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Leonid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin Leon-, Leo; from their appearing to radiate from a point in Leo

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Leonid was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near Leonid

Cite this Entry

“Leonid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Leonid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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