legion
/ˈliːdʒ(ə)n
/noun
1A division of 3,000-6,000 men, including a complement of cavalry, in the ancient Roman army.The most important fighting unit of the Roman Army was the legion commanded by a legatus....
- Thus it was Titus who commanded the Roman legions during the famous sack of Jerusalem.
- The Roman legions brought peace and prosperity, at least most of the time.
Synonyms
brigade, regiment, battalion, company, troop, division, squadron, squad, platoon, contingent, unit, force, corps, garrison, section, group, detachment, commando, battery, band, outfit, cohort
1.1 (the Legion) The Foreign Legion.
1.2 (the Legion) A national association of former servicemen and servicewomen instituted after the First World War, such as the Royal British Legion or the American Legion.
2 (a legion/legions of) A vast number of people or things: legions of photographers and TV cameras...
- She has already won a legion of admirers and a Radio 3 Award for world music.
- It'll silence their critics, amaze their fans and win them a whole new legion of admirers.
- For the band's legion of fans, Metz's book is a loving walk down memory lane.
Synonyms
horde, host, throng, multitude, crowd, drove, mass, mob, rabble, gang, swarm, flock, herd, body, pack, score, mountain, army, sea, abundance, profusion
adjective [predicative]
Great in number: her fans are legion...
- His list of friends and admirers there is legion.
- Admirers, who are legion according to Chan, call him Little Prince ‘because he's very pretty.’
- By contrast, makeshift labs that produce the synthetic drug methamphetamine are legion - thousands of such facilities are busted annually.
Synonyms
numerous, countless, innumerable, incalculable, immeasurable, untold, endless, limitless, boundless, myriad, many, abundant, plentiful, thick on the ground
informal umpteen
Origin
Middle English: via Old French from Latin legio(n-), from legere 'choose, levy'. The adjective dates from the late 17th century, in early use often in the phrase my, their, etc. name is legion, i.e. 'we, they, etc. are many' (Mark 5:9).