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

The 1mm of key travel is a little shallow, but the typing experience is solid, with good feedback and easy-to-read key legends, as well as effective key backlighting. —Brian Westover, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

But she’s been making up for a late start in a big way – landing her first Oscar nod at age 84 and sharing scenes with legends from Bruce Dern to Adam Sandler. —Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024

From his collaborations with legends including Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, to his work with contemporary artists, Jones's influence is widely accepted as having been pervasive. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Read All About It Quincy Jones, a maestro of American music who worked with legends from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and earned a record 80 Grammy Award nominations, has died at 91. —Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024

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."