legion

[ lee-juhn ]

noun

1. a division of the Roman army, usually comprising 3000 to 6000 soldiers.
2. a military or semimilitary unit.
3. the Legion.
   1. American Legion.
   2. foreign legion ( def 2 ).
4. any large group of armed men.
5. any great number of persons or things; multitude.

   Synonyms: sea, host, mass, throng

adjective

1. very great in number:

   The holy man's faithful followers were legion.

legion

/ ˈliːdʒən /

noun

1. a military unit of the ancient Roman army made up of infantry with supporting cavalry, numbering some three to six thousand men
2. any large military force

   the French Foreign Legion

3. usually capital an association of ex-servicemen

   the British Legion

4. often plural any very large number, esp of people

adjective

1. usually postpositive very large or numerous

Word History and Origins

Origin of legion¹

1175–1225; Middle English legi ( o ) un (< Old French ) < Latin legiōn- (stem of legiō ) picked body of soldiers, equivalent to leg ( ere ) to gather, choose, read + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of legion¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin legio, from legere to choose

Example Sentences

At various times, we had spoken about honors--Hitchcock had been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and wore a ribbon in his lapel.

From The Daily Beast

Galliano, who was once on top of the fashion industry,  received a Légion d'Honneur from Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.

From The Daily Beast

Jacques Chirac made Boulud a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in March 2006.

From The Daily Beast

The occasion marked the admission of the Légion Étrangère to equal footing with the regiments of the line.

From Project Gutenberg

The chefs-de-légion disputed the project on the regiments point by point, demonstrating its impossibility.

From Project Gutenberg

The chefs-de-légion engaged to find the men, and spent the whole night in search of them.

From Project Gutenberg

At five o'clock the first Versaillese shell fell upon the Légion d'Honneur.

From Project Gutenberg

At the Légion d'Honneur they forced their way; the proclamation of Delescluze had released them.

From Project Gutenberg