legend Hear it!

legend definition

leg·end (lej′ənd)

noun

    1. a story handed down for generations among a people and popularly believed to have a historical basis, although not verifiable
    2. all such stories belonging to a particular group of people famous in Irish legend
    1. a notable person whose deeds or exploits are much talked about in his or her own time
    2. the stories of his or her exploits
  3. an inscription on a coin, coat of arms, etc.
  4. a title, brief description, or key accompanying an illustration or map

Etymology: ME legende < OFr < ML legenda, things to read, neut. pl. of L legendus, ger. of legere, to read: see logic

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

legend Synonyms

legend

n.

  1. An improbable, traditional story

    folk tale, saga, fable; see myth, story.

  2. A brief piece of written matter

    caption, motto, inscription, title, key; see also writing 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

legend Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • inspire: The poem has been described as the most successful poem inspired by the Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages.

Converse of object

  • retell: Cook great-grandmother's favorite recipes and retell the family legends, especially to younger members of the family.

Preposition: in

  • making: Above Right: Many years later, the Brunswick Academicals are still legends in the making.

Adjective modifier

  • Arthurian: Jimmy Carter 71 In Arthurian legend who found the Holy Grail?

Noun used with modifier

  • cricketing: Meanwhile, Howard Stevenson has another tale of harrassing English cricketing legends.
legend usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

legend quotes

It's bloody tough being a legend.

-Atkinson, Ron

I had rather believe all the fables in the legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind.

-Bacon, Francis,Viscount St Albans

The past exudes legend: one can't make pure clay of time's mud. There is no life that can be recaptured wholly; as it was.Which is to say that all biography is ultimately fiction.

-Malamud, Bernard

legend quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"legend." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/legend>

APA Style

legend. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/legend

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