Main Entry: leg·end

Pronunciation: \ˈle-jənd\

Function: noun

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

Date: 14th century

1 a : a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable b : a body of such stories <a place in the legend of the frontier> c : a popular myth of recent origin d : a person or thing that inspires legends 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 (as a coin) b : caption 2b c : an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart