legend

noun

leg·end ˈle-jənd

Synonyms of legend next

: a story coming down from the past

especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

the legend of a lost continent

Arthurian legends

: a body of such stories

a place in the legend of the frontier

: a popular myth of recent origin

the legend of the Loch Ness monster

: a person or thing that inspires legends

a baseball legend

: the subject of a legend

its violence was legend even in its own time—

William Broyles Jr.

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

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

: caption sense 2b

The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.

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

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 At the first American Music Awards on Feb. 19, 1974, Croce won favorite pop/rock male artist, beating a pair of legends – Elton John and Stevie Wonder. —

Paul Grein, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2023 The veteran actor, producer and entrepreneur will receive the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award, an honor that is awarded by the late legend’s children, Zak, Zelda and Cody. —

Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023 The vocal legends have been making joint public appearances in all kinds of way lately. —

Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2023 Local legend traces the origin of Charleston's iconic she-crab soup to a presidential dinner served at the home of Mayor Rhett in the early 1900s. —

Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023 The show had also been mired in controversy for its dramatization of Lakers legends, with former NBA player and Lakers executive Jerry West demanding a retraction in April 2022. —

Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023 Female rock legends not ‘articulate’ enough for Rolling Stone co-founder Wenner’s remarks drew immediate backlash online and beyond. —

Lyric Li, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2023 The rapper also chatted with the Big Noon Kickoff panel — including former NFL pros Mark Ingram and Rob Gronkowski — about how the former dual-sport legend turned the Colorado team into a must-see powerhouse. —

Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2023 Along with the alphanumeric legend standard on most keyboards, there's an additional set of legends printed in blue and orange. —

PCMAG, 15 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legend.' 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

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of legend was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Legend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legend. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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Kids Definition

legend

noun

leg·end ˈlej-ənd

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

: writing or a title on an object

: caption sense 2

: 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."