legend

noun

leg·​end ˈle-jənd 

1

a

: a story coming down from the past

especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

the legend of a lost continent

Arthurian legends

b

: a body of such stories

a place in the legend of the frontier

c

: a popular myth of recent origin

the legend of the Loch Ness monster

d

: a person or thing that inspires legends

a baseball legend

e

: the subject of a legend

its violence was legend even in its own time

—William Broyles Jr.

2

a

: an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)

The quarter bore the legend "In God We Trust."

b

: caption sense 2b

The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.

c

: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

Synonyms

• key

Examples of legend in a Sentence

I don't believe the legends I've heard about this forest.

the legend of a lost continent

He has become a baseball legend.

The gravestone bears the legend “Rest in Peace.”

Recent Examples on the Web

On Thursday, Judge notched his 500th career extra-base hit, becoming the third-fastest player in Yankees history (in terms of games) to reach the mark, trailing a pair of legends: Joe DiMaggio (853 games) and Lou Gehrig (874 games). —Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025

Opened in 1926, The Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables is a local legend that’s famed for its storied history—it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986—distinguished guests from Judy Garland to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and elevated but laid-back experience. —Katie Chang, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

Deion Sanders is a former NFL legend and is trying to build up a similar legendary status in the college football game. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025

Elsewhere in the article, Khan also spoke about performing with the late legend, Prince. —Marina Watts, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English legende, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin, feminine of legendus, gerundive of legere to gather, select, read; akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing legend

• a legend in one's own time
• living legend
• the stuff of legend
• urban legend

Kids Definition

legend

noun

leg·​end ˈlej-ənd 

1

: a story coming down from the past whose truth is popularly accepted but cannot be checked

2

a

: writing or a title on an object

b

: caption sense 2

c

: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

Etymology

Middle English legende "a legend," derived from Latin legenda "something to be read," derived from earlier legere "to gather, read"

Word Origin

The Latin verb legere originally meant "to gather." In time the verb came to mean "to gather with the eye, to see," and that led to the sense "to read." From this verb came the Latin noun legenda, used in the Middle Ages to mean "a thing to be read." Legenda was used to refer in particular to stories about the lives of saints. Many such stories were written in the Middle Ages, and they often included fiction along with fact. Because of that, when legenda was borrowed into English as legend, it came to mean "a story coming down from the past which may or may not be entirely true."