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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

legend.

The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd//ˈliːd͡ʒ.ənd/obsolete
  1. The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).

    countable · uncountable
    As a child she had nothing to read but the legends of early Christian martyrs.
  2. An unrealistic story depicting past events. A story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary past events.

    countable · uncountable
    The legend of Troy was discovered to have a historical basis.
  3. An unrealistic story depicting past events. A plausible story set in the historical past, but whose historicity is uncertain.

    countable · uncountable
    the legend of Robin Hood
  4. An unrealistic story depicting past events. A story in which a kernel of truth is embellished to an unlikely degree.

    countable · uncountable
    The 1984 Rose Bowl prank has spawned many legends. Here's the real story.
  5. An unrealistic story depicting past events. A fabricated backstory for a spy, with associated documents and records.

    countable · uncountable
    According to his legend, he once worked for the Red Cross, spreading humanitarian aid in Africa.
  6. Such stories considered collectively; unverified traditional tales.

    uncountable
  7. A person related to a legend or legends. A leading protagonist in a historical legend.

    countable · uncountable
    Achilles is a legend in Greek culture.
  8. A person related to a legend or legends. A person of extraordinary fame or accomplishments.

    countable · uncountable
    Michael Jordan stands as a legend in basketball.
    Sachin Tendulkar stands as a legend in cricket.
  9. A person related to a legend or legends. A person of extraordinary fame or accomplishments. A cool, nice or helpful person, especially one who is male.

    Australia · Ireland · New-Zealand · UK · colloquial · countable · slang · uncountable
    I've lost my pen! —Here mate, borrow mine. —You legend.
  10. A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.

    countable · uncountable
    According to the legend on the map, that building is a school.
  11. An inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

    countable · uncountable
  12. A musical composition set to a poetical story.

    countable · uncountable
  13. The design and specification of a vessel.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda (“a legend, story, especially the lives of the saints”), from Latin legenda (“things which ought to be read”), from lego (“to read”).

verb/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd//ˈliːd͡ʒ.ənd/obsolete
  1. To tell or narrate; to recount.

    archaic · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda (“a legend, story, especially the lives of the saints”), from Latin legenda (“things which ought to be read”), from lego (“to read”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.