leg·end 
(lĕjənd)
(lĕjənd)n.
1.
a. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.
b. A body or collection of such stories.
c. See urban legend.
2. One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame: She is a legend in her own time.
3.
a. An inscription or title on an object, such as a coin.
b. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
c. 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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]