legend

noun

leg·​end ˈle-jənd How to pronounce legend (audio)
1
a
: a story coming down from the past
especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable
the legend of a lost continent
Arthurian legends
b
: a body of such stories
a place in the legend of the frontier
c
: a popular myth of recent origin
the legend of the Loch Ness monster
d
: a person or thing that inspires legends
a baseball legend
e
: the subject of a legend
its violence was legend even in its own timeWilliam Broyles Jr.
2
a
: an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)
The quarter bore the legend "In God We Trust."
b
: caption sense 2b
The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.
c
: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

Examples of legend in a Sentence

I don't believe the legends I've heard about this forest. the legend of a lost continent He has become a baseball legend. The gravestone bears the legend “Rest in Peace.”
Recent Examples on the Web Baker’s account of Christy Mathewson, who, starting in 1900, pitched seventeen seasons for the Giants, is more worshipful—all the revisionists in the world can’t shake the legend of Mathewson as a captain of men and a gentleman of integrity. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Author Roger Lewis’s biography of the couple, Erotic Vagrancy: Everything about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, is forthcoming March 26 from Mobius, and provides an extensive look at the Hollywood legends. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024 In support of mental-health initiatives in the music industry, Rolling Stone and the Hi, How Are You Project displayed merch and the iconic mural painted by the late Austin legend Daniel Johnston. Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 Willie Brown at 90: Still a political visionary (Jose Luis Villegas/For The Times) Columnist George Skelton caught up this week with Willie Brown, a legend in California politics who made history as the first Black Assembly speaker and the first Black mayor of San Francisco. Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Country music legend Alan Jackson reportedly walked out during their performance. Riann Phillip, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 Other west coast legends like DJ Quik, Tha Dogg Pound, Jewell, and the Lady of Rage also appear on the 18-track album, with Suge Knight and Dr. Dre serving as producers. Ade Adeniji, SPIN, 20 Mar. 2024 This could explain the origin of the Apache legend that these mountains are the home of the thunder gods. Li Cohen, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 There were plenty of music legends in the mix — Ryuchi Sakamoto, Robbie Robertson, Jane Birkin — along with Tina Turner, with a clip from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English legende, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin, feminine of legendus, gerundive of legere to gather, select, read; akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of legend was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near legend

Cite this Entry

“Legend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legend. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

legend

noun
leg·​end ˈlej-ənd How to pronounce legend (audio)
1
: a story coming down from the past whose truth is popularly accepted but cannot be checked
2
a
: writing or a title on an object
c
: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart
Etymology

Middle English legende "a legend," derived from Latin legenda "something to be read," derived from earlier legere "to gather, read"

Word Origin
The Latin verb legere originally meant "to gather." In time the verb came to mean "to gather with the eye, to see," and that led to the sense "to read." From this verb came the Latin noun legenda, used in the Middle Ages to mean "a thing to be read." Legenda was used to refer in particular to stories about the lives of saints. Many such stories were written in the Middle Ages, and they often included fiction along with fact. Because of that, when legenda was borrowed into English as legend, it came to mean "a story coming down from the past which may or may not be entirely true."

More from Merriam-Webster on legend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!