legend

[ lej-uhnd ]

noun

1. a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.

   Antonyms: fact

2. the body of stories of this kind, especially as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan:

   the winning of the West in American legend.

3. an inscription, especially on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.
4. a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used. Compare key ¹( def 8 ).
5. Numismatics. inscription ( def 8 ).
6. a collection of stories about an admirable person.
7. a person who is the center of such stories:

   She became a legend in her own lifetime.

8. Archaic. a story of the life of a saint, especially one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.
9. Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.

legend

/ ˈlɛdʒənd /

noun

1. a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained
2. a group of such stories

   the Arthurian legend

3. a modern story that has taken on the characteristics of a traditional legendary tale
4. a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits
5. an inscription or title, as on a coin or beneath a coat of arms
6. explanatory matter accompanying a table, map, chart, etc
7. 1. a story of the life of a saint
   2. a collection of such stories

Derived Forms

• ˈlegendry, noun

Other Words From

• pre·legend noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of legend¹

First recorded in 1300–50; 1900–05 legend fordef 4; Middle English legende “written account of a saint's life,” from Medieval Latin legenda literally, “(lesson) to be read,” noun use of feminine of Latin legendus, gerund of legere “to read”; so called because appointed to be read on respective saints' days

Word History and Origins

Origin of legend¹

C14 (in the sense: a saint's life or a collection of saints' lives): from Medieval Latin legenda passages to be read, from Latin legere to read

Synonym Study

Legend, fable, myth refer to fictitious stories, usually handed down by tradition (although some fables are modern). Legend, originally denoting a story concerning the life of a saint, is applied to any fictitious story, sometimes involving the supernatural, and usually concerned with a real person, place, or other subject: the legend of the Holy Grail. A fable is specifically a fictitious story (often with animals or inanimate things as speakers or actors) designed to teach a moral: a fable about industrious bees. A myth is one of a class of stories, usually concerning gods, semidivine heroes, etc., current since primitive times, the purpose of which is to attempt to explain some belief or natural phenomenon: the Greek myth about Demeter.

Example Sentences

Last April at T-Mobile, Mike Sievert took over for a legend, John Legere, who started out in last place and ended up gaining the most customers and having the best performing stock in telecom over his eight year run.

From Fortune

Only a few managed to escape, according to legend, one of them being John Gómez, who was supposedly the first narrator of the Gasparilla legend.

From Washington Post

The legend of Achilles retold through the lens of his friend Patroclus.

From Washington Post

Even in a hellish year-plus that has cost us so many legends, the one we lost Friday was truly one of a kind.

From FiveThirtyEight

As a competitor and future first-ballot Hall of Famer, he surely cares about the personal opportunity to enhance his legend.

From Washington Post

The attempt to “breed back” the Auroch of Teutonic legend was of a piece with the Nazi obsession with racial purity and eugenics.

From The Daily Beast

Acting legend talks about what role is closest to her heart.

From The Daily Beast

Some lesser-known live performances from the late rock legend.

From The Daily Beast

Founded by German monks in present-day Old Town Stockholm, Zum Franziskaner has become a legend amongst locals and tourists.

From The Daily Beast

So, for that matter, was Gladiator, the previous foray into ancient legend by director Ridley Scott.

From The Daily Beast

Her stern was towards him, and all he saw of her was the ironical legend, “Cure your Corns.”

From Project Gutenberg

His name is less romantic than those of the wonted demons of legend and folklore.

From Project Gutenberg

He perceived that they had lived long enough in retirement in the little Welsh village to have acquired a pride in its legend.

From Project Gutenberg

But, oddly enough, as he walked back to the hotel it was just Betty Lardner who made him think again of the legend.

From Project Gutenberg

It was probably this opposition that made young Cargill decide that it would be really worth while to defy the legend.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fable
• fiction
• folklore
• lore
• myth
• mythology
• tale
• tradition