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

Advertisement For the past 12 years, Tucker has presented her annual late-April concert as part of — or in close proximity to — International Jazz Day, which was founded by keyboard legend Herbie Hancock and will this year be held April 30 in more than 100 countries around the world. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024

The gangs that detectives said ruled over the projects, frightening families into returning home before sundown, had dwindled in size and influence, but the legend of Smiley endured. —Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024

The group includes tennis legend Billie Jean King, 80; actresses Jennie Garth, 52, Naomi Watts, 55, Christina Applegate, 52, and Rita Wilson, 67; singers Patti LaBelle, 79, and Queen Latifah, 54, bestselling author Debbie Macomber, 75, and Martha Stewart, 82. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024

Willie Nelson and Various Artists Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 — Live At The Hollywood Bowl Volume II (Legacy Recordings) On April 29 and 30th, 2023, a cavalcade of music stars convened at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to celebrate the 90th birthday of country legend Willie Nelson. —Ron Hart, SPIN, 17 Apr. 2024

In addition to Clash of the Titans (1981) — the final film from effects legend Ray Harryhausen — and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Goozee worked on posters for Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Crocodile Dundee (1986), The Mission (1986) and more. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024

The University of Iowa legend, who has already made history as the NCAA Division I basketball’s overall top scorer, sealed a contract with the Indiana Fever after she was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft Monday. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024

To commemorate the legacy of the Latin label that brought us legends like Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Héctor Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, and Pacheco himself, Craft Latino announced on Tuesday (April 16) a year-long celebration with special releases, merchandise and events. —Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024

As Jason went from a college walk-on to a professional football legend, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux wanted to pay homage to their motto, which is to spotlight the perseverance and dedication of a walk-on athlete and all that goes into it, the release adds. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 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

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