legend definition | Dictionary.com

leg⋅end

[lej-uh

nd]

–noun

1.	a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.

2.	the body of stories of this kind, esp. as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan: the winning of the West in American legend.

3.	an inscription, esp. on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.

4.	a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used. Compare key ¹ (def. 8).

5.	Numismatics. inscription (def. 8).

6.	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.

Antonyms:
1. fact.

in⋅scrip⋅tion

[in-skrip-shuh

–noun

1.	something inscribed.

2.	a historical, religious, or other record cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or other hard surface.

3.	a brief, usually informal dedication, as of a book or a work of art.

4.	a note, as a dedication, that is written and signed by hand in a book.

5.	the act of inscribing.

6.	Pharmacology. the part of a prescription indicating the drugs and the amounts to be mixed.

British.

a.	an issue of securities or stocks.

b.	a block of shares in a stock, as bought or sold by one person.

8.	Also called legend. Numismatics. the lettering in the field of a coin, medal, etc.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME inscripcio(u)n < L inscrīptiōn- (s. of inscrīptiō), equiv. to inscrīpt(us) (ptp. of inscrībere to inscribe ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:

in⋅scrip⋅tion⋅al, adjective

in⋅scrip⋅tion⋅less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To legend

leg·end (lěj'ənd)

1. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.
2. A body or collection of such stories.
3. A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.
4. An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
5. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
6. An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.
One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame.
1. An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
2. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
3. 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legend

Leg"end\ (l[e^]j"[e^]nd or l[=e]"j[e^]nd; 277), n. [OE. legende, OF. legende, F. l['e]gende, LL. legenda, fr. L. legendus to be read, fr. legere to read, gather; akin to Gr. le`gein to gather, speak. Cf. Collect, Dialogue, Lesson, Logic.]

1. That which is appointed to be read; especially, a chronicle or register of the lives of saints, formerly read at matins, and in the refectories of religious houses.

2. A story respecting saints; especially, one of a marvelous nature. --Addison.

3. Any wonderful story coming down from the past, but not verifiable by historical record; a myth; a fable.

And in this legend all that glorious deed Read, whilst you arm you. --Fairfax.

4. An inscription, motto, or title, esp. one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon an heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

Golden legend. See under Golden.

Legend

Leg"end\, v. t. To tell or narrate, as a legend. --Bp. Hall.

Language Translation for : legend

Spanish: leyenda,

German: die Sage,

Japanese: 伝説

More Translations »

legend

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.

Legend

A notification placed on certain stock certificates describing the terms and conditions of sale and ownership.

Investopedia Commentary

The main purpose of a legend is to notify owners of the restrictions placed on certain stocks. Sometimes, however, the legend may not be included on the certificate, so there may be restrictions on some stocks that have no legends. Generally, these restrictions occur when the initial owner enters into a shareholder agreement.

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