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, esp. one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.
9.
Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.
[Origin: 1300–50; 1900–05 for def. 4; ME legende written account of a saint's life < ML legenda lit., (lesson) to be read, n. use of fem. of L legendus, ger. of legere to read; so called because appointed to be read on respective saints' days]
—Synonyms 1.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.
An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.
A body or collection of such stories.
A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.
An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.
One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame.
An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.
[Middle English, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin (lēctiō) legenda, (lesson) to be read, from Latin, feminine gerundive of legere, to read; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: Legend comes from the Latin adjective legenda, "for reading, to be read," which referred only to written stories, not to traditional stories transmitted orally from generation to generation. This restriction also applied to the English word legend when it was first used in the late 14th century in reference to written accounts of saints' lives, but ever since the 15th century legend has been used to refer to traditional stories as well. Today a legend can also be a person or achievement worthy of inspiring such a story—anyone or anything whose fame promises to be enduring, even if the renown is created more by the media than by oral tradition. Thus we speak of the legendary accomplishments of a major-league baseball star or the legendary voice of a famous opera singer. This usage is common journalistic hyperbole, and 55 percent of the Usage Panel accepts it.
c.1340, from O.Fr. legende (12c.), from M.L. legenda "legend, story," lit. "(things) to be read," on certain days in church, etc., from neuter plural gerundive of L. legere "to read, gather, select" (see lecture). Used originally of saints' lives; extended sense of "nonhistorical or mythical story" first recorded 1613. Meaning "writing or inscription" (especially on a coin or medal) is from 1611; on a map, illustration, etc., from 1903.
Coil\ (koil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coiled (koild); p. pr. & vb. n. Coiling.] [OF. coillir, F. cueillir, to collect, gather together, L. coligere; col- + legere to gather. See Legend, and cf. Cull, v. t., Collect.]1. To wind cylindrically or spirally; as, to coil a rope when not in use; the snake coiled itself before springing. 2. To encircle and hold with, or as with, coils. [Obs. or R.] --T. Edwards.
Col*lect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Collected; p. pr. & vb. n. Collecting.] [L. collecrus, p. p. of collerige to bind together; col- + legere to gather: cf. OF. collecter. See Legend, and cf. Coil, v. t., Cull, v. t.]1. To gather into one body or place; to assemble or bring together; to obtain by gathering. A band of men Collected choicely from each country. --Shak. 'Tis memory alone that enriches the mind, by preserving what our labor and industry daily collect. --Watts. 2. To demand and obtain payment of, as an account, or other indebtedness; as, to collect taxes. 3. To infer from observed facts; to conclude from premises. [Archaic.] --Shak. Which sequence, I conceive, is very ill collected. --Locke. To collect one's self, to recover from surprise, embarrassment, or fear; to regain self-control. Syn: To gather; assemble; congregate; muster; accumulate; garner; aggregate; amass; infer; deduce.
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