leonine

American  

[lee-uh-nahyn] / ˈli əˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the lion.

   We breathlessly watched the pride, in its leonine majesty, as it moved across the veldt.

2. resembling or suggestive of a lion.

   the conductor's wild, leonine hair.

3. (usually initial capital letter) of or relating to Leo, especially Leo IV or Leo XIII.

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Leonine ¹ British  

/ ˈliːəˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. connected with one of the popes called Leo

2. a district of Rome on the right bank of the Tiber fortified by Pope Leo IV

3. of or relating to certain prayers in the Mass prescribed by Pope Leo XIII

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noun

1. Also called: Leonine verse. 

   1. a type of medieval hexameter or elegiac verse having internal rhyme

   2. a type of English verse with internal rhyme

leonine ² British  

/ ˈliːəˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or resembling a lion

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Etymology

Origin of leonine

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leonyn, from Latin leōnīnus “lionlike,” equivalent to leōn- (stem of leō) + -īnus; lion, -ine ¹

Example Sentences

He comes to the Proms with the Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, to play Mahler's leonine fifth symphony.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025

What could be more leonine than a personal inferno?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

“Lady Killer” stars the leonine Jean Gabin as Lucien, a womanizing legionnaire.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2023

What looked on the picture to be a long, leonine dangling tail with a bob at the end could have been a shadow cast by vegetation.

From Reuters • Jul. 21, 2023

Its body was leonine, but its face, furred and matted with dirt, had human eyes and a human nose and mouth.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• big-name
• distinguished
• esteemed
• famed
• high-ranking
• illustrious
• noted
• outstanding
• preeminent
• prominent
• renowned
• well-known