legend

leg•end

[[t]ˈlɛdʒ ənd[/t]] n.

1) a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical

2) the body of stories of this kind, esp. as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan

3) an inscription, esp. on a coat of arms, a monument, a picture, or the like

4) pri a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used

5) num the lettering running around the field of a coin, medal, etc

6) a collection of stories about an admirable person

7) a person who is the center of such stories:

to become a legend in one's own lifetime[/ex]

8) archaic a story of the life of a saint

9) Obs. a collection of such stories or stories like them

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Etymology: 1300–50; ME legende account of a saint's life < ML legenda lit., (lesson) to be read; so called because appointed to be read on respective saints' days syn: legend, myth, fable refer to stories handed down from earlier times, often by word of mouth. A legend is a story associated with a people or a nation; it is usu. concerned with a real person, place, or event and is popularly believed to have some basis in fact: the legend of King Arthur. A myth is one of a class of purportedly historical stories that attempt to explain some belief, practice, or natural phenomenon; the characters are usu. gods or heroes: the Greek myth about Demeter. A fable is a fictitious story intended to teach a moral lesson; the characters are usu. animals: the fable about the fox and the grapes.