a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.
the body of stories of this kind, especially as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan: the winning of the West in American legend.
an inscription, especially on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.
a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used.Compare key1 (def. 8).
Numismatics. inscription (def. 8).
a collection of stories about an admirable person.
a person who is the center of such stories: She became a legend in her own lifetime.
Archaic. a story of the life of a saint, especially one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.
Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.
Origin of legend
First recorded in 1300–50; 1900–05 for def. 4; Middle English legende “written account of a saint's life,” from Medieval Latin legenda literally, “(lesson) to be read,” noun use of feminine of Latin legendus, gerund of legere “to read”; so called because appointed to be read on respective saints' days
ANTONYMS FOR legend
1 fact.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR legend ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for legend
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM legend
pre·leg·end,noun,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH legend
fable, legend , myth (see synonym study at the current entry)
Words nearby legend
leg before wicket, leg-break, leg bye, Legco, leg drop, legend, legendary, legendist, legendize, Legendre, Legendre equation
According to some legends and conjectures, put forth by authors such as Livius and Cicero, Ostia may have been Rome’s first colonia – a Roman outpost that secured their newly conquered territories.
Ostia Antica: Reconstruction and History of The Harbor City of Ancient Rome|Dattatreya Mandal|April 14, 2020|Realm of History
Founded by German monks in present-day Old Town Stockholm, Zum Franziskaner has become a legend amongst locals and tourists.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without proof of this kind, the story of the lost legions is just a legend.
The Chinese Town Descended From Romans?|Nina Strochlic|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The last straw was when Congressman John Lewis—the Civil Rights legend—came out in support of Hillary Clinton in October 2007.
The Valerie Jarrett I Know: How She Saved the Obama Campaign and Why She’s Indispensable|Joshua DuBois|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was also an autodidact, an illegitimate girl from the provinces whose intelligence became the stuff of legend.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That, too, is the test for Cadillac—to resuscitate a legend.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to the Talmudic legend like Moses and other saints.
Stories and Pictures|Isaac Loeb Peretz
For five thousand years, so the legend ran, this diamond had been one of the most precious treasures of Asia.
Cyrus Hall McCormick|Herbert Newton Casson
Concerning Peter and Paul, the increase of the legend was rich and rapid.
English Conferences of Ernest Renan|Ernest Renan
It was the opinion of some that this might be the wild huntsman, famous in German legend.
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.|Washington Irving
The river, the fountain, and the aged oak, each had its legend and its observance of unknown antiquity.
History of Religion|Allan Menzies
British Dictionary definitions for legend
legend
/ (ˈlɛdʒənd) /
noun
a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained
a group of such storiesthe Arthurian legend
a modern story that has taken on the characteristics of a traditional legendary tale
a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits
an inscription or title, as on a coin or beneath a coat of arms
explanatory matter accompanying a table, map, chart, etc
a story of the life of a saint
a collection of such stories
Derived forms of legend
legendry, noun
Word Origin for legend
C14 (in the sense: a saint's life or a collection of saints' lives): from Medieval Latin legenda passages to be read, from Latin legere to read