# legend

Pronunciation: say "LEJ-uhnd" /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/

## Noun

1. A person who is extremely famous or has achieved remarkable things.
   - Simple: Someone who is very famous and admired for what they have done.
   - _She is regarded as a legend in the world of jazz._
   - _Few athletes ever reach the status of a true legend._
2. A traditional story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary events from the past.
   - Simple: A story from long ago about amazing events, where no one knows who first told it.
   - _According to legend, a great city once stood beneath the sea._
   - _Historians debate whether the legend grew out of a real shipwreck._
3. A key explaining the symbols and color codes used on a map, chart, or diagram.
   - Simple: The part of a map that explains what its symbols and colors mean.
   - _The cartographer placed the legend in the lower corner of the map._
   - _Without a legend, the colored regions on the chart were impossible to interpret._
4. A thoroughly likable, kind, or helpful person, especially a man, spoken of with warm admiration. *(slang, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK)*
   - Simple: A really great, kind, or helpful person, especially a man.
   - _He bought drinks for the whole team. Absolute legend._
   - _Cheers, mate, you're a legend for sorting that out._
5. Traditional, unverified tales considered together as a single body of handed-down stories.
   - Simple: Old stories that people have told for a long time but that have not been proven true.
   - _The region is rich in legend, with tales of sea serpents and lost cities._
   - _Scholars carefully separate documented fact from legend when studying ancient kings._
6. A plausible story set in the historical past whose actual truth remains uncertain.
   - Simple: A story about the past that sounds real, but no one can prove it truly happened.
   - _The story of the city's founder is treated as legend rather than verified history._
   - _Whether the famous duel ever happened is a matter of legend, not documented record._
7. A story built on a small core of truth that has been exaggerated to an improbable degree.
   - Simple: A true story that has been stretched and exaggerated until it seems hard to believe.
   - _His one lucky shot became a legend, retold with ever-wilder details._
   - _A mild winter storm slowly grew into a legend of record-breaking blizzards._
8. A written account of the life of a saint.
   - Simple: The life story of a saint, especially one written to be read aloud.
   - _The medieval legend of Saint Francis describes his sermon to the birds._
   - _Pilgrims gathered to hear the legend of the local martyr each year._
9. A fabricated backstory created for a spy, complete with supporting documents and records.
   - Simple: A fake life story made up for a spy, along with fake papers to back it up.
   - _The handler built the operative a legend as a freelance journalist._
   - _Her legend held up until a customs officer noticed the forged stamp._
10. An inscription, motto, or title, especially one running around a coin or medal, set on a heraldic shield, or placed beneath an engraving.
   - Simple: The words or motto written on a coin, a medal, or under a picture.
   - _The legend encircling the coin named the reigning emperor._
   - _A short Latin legend ran beneath the engraved portrait._
11. The central hero or leading character in a historical legend.
   - Simple: The main hero or character in an old, famous story.
   - _In the saga, the legend is a warrior who unites the scattered tribes._
   - _Folk ballads cast the outlaw as the legend whose deeds defy the king._
12. A musical composition based on or set to a poetic narrative.
   - Simple: A piece of music based on a story told in poetry.
   - _The orchestra performed a romantic legend inspired by an old ballad._
   - _Wieniawski's legend for violin captures the sorrow of its poetic source._
13. The design and full specification of a ship or vessel.
   - Simple: The full set of design plans and details for a ship.
   - _The Admiralty approved the legend before construction of the warship began._
   - _Changes to the engine room meant the legend had to be redrawn._

## Verb

14. To tell, narrate, or recount a story. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To tell or share a story out loud.
   - _The minstrels legend the king's victories in songs carried from town to town._
   - _Grandmothers would legend the origins of the village to wide-eyed children._

## Origin

From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda meaning "a story, especially the lives of the saints." This came from Latin legenda, "things which ought to be read," from lego, "I read."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/legend (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).