legionary

1 of 2

adjective

le·​gion·​ary ˈlē-jə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce legionary (audio)
-ˌne-rē
: of, relating to, or constituting a legion

legionary

2 of 2

noun

plural legionaries

Examples of legionary in a Sentence

Noun the daring exploits of the French legionaries have long been the stuff of literary and cinematic legend
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
It was founded in the mid- 1st century as a legionary fortress before the soldiers moved away and the old fortress continued to grow into a thriving city. Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Aug. 2024 Inside the outpost, the rankings got more granular—commoner, foreigner, servant, patrician, legionary, commander, senator, magistrate. Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 10 June 2021 Two examples include a room from King Herod's palace that was discovered under the old Ottoman Kishle prison and a Roman legionary bathhouse that was excavated when a modern Jewish mikvah, a building for ritual baths, was under construction. National Geographic, 14 Nov. 2019 As part of the free admission, guests can experience a lively demonstration of gladiatorial combat, explore hands-on activities, learn about Roman life and the famous Roman legionary soldiers, and play with the toys and games of Roman children. Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 17 May 2018 The cemetery they were buried in was once on the outskirts of Eboracum, a Roman legionary fortress and settlement that was one of the largest in Britain 1800 years ago. National Geographic, 19 Jan. 2016
Noun
Their deployments lack the ideological zeal of the foreign legionaries who flocked to Ukraine in the early months of the war. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 In the Thirties, the legionaries, as they were known, had launched pogroms that claimed hundreds of Jewish lives. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023 The teenage hero is among a few witnesses, including a Neanderthal cave man, a Roman legionary and the preteen daughter of a Princeton University professor, called before a tribunal representing three great galaxies. Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2020 According to the Telegraph’s Mike Wright, the fort likely served as a satellite of Isca Dumnoniorum, a military fortification garrisoned by 5,500 legionaries tasked with pacifying the fiercely resisting local populations in the region. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 27 Sep. 2019 These legionaries would march 20 miles a day with 80 lbs. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 26 Dec. 2018 The modern-day version has firms sending out agents to collect debts dressed in a medley of outfits from monks to Roman legionaries. Bloomberg.com, 14 Feb. 2018

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

Adjective

Middle English legyonary, from Latin legionarius, from legion-, legio

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1536, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of legionary was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near legionary

Cite this Entry

“Legionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legionary. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

legionary

1 of 2 adjective
le·​gion·​ary ˈlē-jə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce legionary (audio)
: of, relating to, or forming a legion

legionary

2 of 2 noun
plural legionaries
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