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lion - 9 dictionary results
li⋅on
[lahy-uh
n] 
–noun
—Idioms| 1. | a large, usually tawny-yellow cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa and southern Asia, having a tufted tail and, in the male, a large mane. |
| 2. | any of various related large wildcats, as the cougar. |
| 3. | a man of great strength, courage, etc. |
| 4. | a person of great importance, influence, charm, etc., who is much admired as a celebrity: a literary lion. |
| 5. | the lion as the national emblem of Great Britain. |
| 6. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Leo. |
| 7. | (initial capital letter) a member of any one of the internationally affiliated service clubs (International Association of Lions Clubs) founded in 1917 and dedicated to promoting responsible citizenship, sound government, and community, national, and international welfare. |
| 8. | Numismatics.
|
| 9. | British. an object of interest or note. |
| 10. | beard the lion in its den, to confront or attack someone, esp. a powerful or feared person, in that person's own familiar surroundings. |
| 11. | twist the lion's tail, to tax the patience of or provoke a person, group, nation, or government, esp. that of Great Britain. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME < OF, var. of leon < L leōn- (s. of leō) < Gk léōn; r. ME, OE lēo < L, as above
bef. 900; ME < OF, var. of leon < L leōn- (s. of leō) < Gk léōn; r. ME, OE lēo < L, as above
Related forms:
li⋅on⋅esque, adjective
li⋅on⋅like, li⋅on⋅ly, adjective
hard⋅head
2 [hahrd-hed] –noun
| an alloyed silver coin of Scotland, issued in the 16th and 17th centuries, equal to one and one-half pence and later to twopence. |
Also called lion.
Origin:
1555–65; perh. (by folk etymology) < F hardit, after Philip III, named le Hardi the Bold (1245–85), king of France, who first issued the coin
1555–65; perh. (by folk etymology) < F hardit, after Philip III, named le Hardi the Bold (1245–85), king of France, who first issued the coin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To lion
| Le·o (lē'ō) n. In all senses also called Lion.
[Latin Leō, from leō, lion; see lion.] |
| li·on (lī'ən) n.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin leō, leōn-, from Greek leōn, of Semitic origin; see lb  in Semitic roots.]Word History: Old French lion is the source of English lion, and the Old French word comes from Latin leō, leōnis. After that the etymology is less clear. The Latin word is related somehow to Greek leōn, leontos (earlier *lewōn, *lewontos), which appears in the name of the Spartan king Leonidas, "Lion's son," who perished at Thermopylae. The Greek word is somehow related to Coptic labai, laboi, "lioness." In turn, Coptic labai is borrowed from a Semitic source related to Hebrew lābī' and Akkadian labbu. There is also a native ancient Egyptian word, rw (where r can stand for either r or l and vowels were not indicated), which is surely related as well. Since lions were native to Africa, Asia, and Europe in ancient times (Aristotle tells us there were lions in Macedon in his day), we have no way of ascertaining who borrowed which word from whom. |
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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Lion
Li"on\ (l[imac]"[u^]n), n. [F. lion, L. leo, -onis, akin to Gr. le`wn. Cf. Chameleon, Dandelion, Leopard.]1. (Zo["o]l.) A large carnivorous feline mammal (Felis leo), found in Southern Asia and in most parts of Africa, distinct varieties occurring in the different countries. The adult male, in most varieties, has a thick mane of long shaggy hair that adds to his apparent size, which is less than that of the largest tigers. The length, however, is sometimes eleven feet to the base of the tail. The color is a tawny yellow or yellowish brown; the mane is darker, and the terminal tuft of the tail is black. In one variety, called the maneless lion, the male has only a slight mane. 2. (Astron.) A sign and a constellation; Leo. 3. An object of interest and curiosity, especially a person who is so regarded; as, he was quite a lion in London at that time. Such society was far more enjoyable than that of Edinburgh, for here he was not a lion, but a man. --Prof. Wilson. American lion (Zo["o]l.), the puma or cougar. Lion ant (Zo["o]l.), the ant-lion. Lion dog (Zo["o]l.), a fancy dog with a flowing mane, usually clipped to resemble a lion's mane. Lion lizard (Zo["o]l.), the basilisk. Lion's share, all, or nearly all; the best or largest part; -- from [AE]sop's fable of the lion hunting in company with certain smaller beasts, and appropriating to himself all the prey.Lion
Li"on\, n. Lion of Lucerne, a famous sculptured lion at Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Thorwaldsen and dedicated in 1821 as a memorial to the Swiss Guards who fell defending Louis XVI. in the attack of the mob on the Tuileries, Aug. 10, 1792. The animal, which is hewn out of the face of a rock, is represented as transfixed with a broken spear and dying, but still trying to protect with its paw a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis of France. Lion of St. Mark, a winged lion, the emblem of the evangelist Mark, especially that of bronze surmounting a granite column in the Piazzetta at Venice, and holding in its fore paws an open book representing St. Mark's Gospel. Lion of the North, Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632), King of Sweden, the hero of the Protestant faith in the Thirty Years' War. Liquid air \Liq"uid air\ (Physics) A transparent limpid liquid, slightly blue in color, consisting of a mixture of liquefied oxygen and nitrogen. It is prepared by subjecting air to great pressure and then cooling it by its own expansion to a temperature below the boiling point of its constituents (N -194[deg] C; O -183[deg] C.).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : lion
Spanish:
león; leona,
German:
der Löwe,
Japanese:
ライオン
lion
c.1175, from O.Fr. lion, from L. leonem (nom. leo), from Gk. leon (gen. leontos), from a non-I.E. language, perhaps Semitic (cf. Heb. labi "lion," pl. lebaim; Egyptian labai, lawai "lioness"). A general Gmc. borrowing (cf. Ger. Löwe) found in most European languages, often via Germanic (cf. O.C.S. liva, Pol. lew, Czech lev, O.Ir. leon, Welsh lew). Used figuratively from c.1200 in an approving sense, "one who is fiercely brave," and a disapproving one, "tyrannical leader, greedy devourer." Verb lionize "to treat (someone) as a celebrity" was used by Scott, 1809, and preserves lion in the sense of "person of note who is much sought-after" (1715), originally in ref. to the lions formerly kept in the Tower of London (referred to thus from late 16c.), objects of general curiosity that every visitor in town was taken to see. Lion's share "the greatest portion" is attested from 1790.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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lion
In addition to the idiom beginning with lion, also see beard the lion; throw to the wolves (lions).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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| LION low energy ion and electron instrument |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
