Leo

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English lēo (“lion”),^[2][3][4] borrowed from Latin leō (“lion; the constellation Leo”),^[5][2][4][6] from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn),^[4][3] which Etymonline and Ayto take as a borrowing from a non-Indo-European language.^[4][3] Etymonline suggests a Semitic one.^[4][7] The modern noun lion came through Anglo-French.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Lion, the constellation between Cancer and Virgo, and the fifth sign of the zodiac: in Old English, in the Anglo-Saxon Manual of Astronomy.^[5] Etymonline places it in late Old English,^[4] and Merriam-Webster before the 12th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Old English lēo was also the ordinary word for a lion until lion replaced it, a use the Shorter Oxford dates from Old English to Middle English.^[2][3][4] Later uses have been astronomical and astrological: Hevelius introduced Leo Minor in 1690,^[4] Leonid, a meteor seeming to come from the constellation, dates from 1868,^[4] and the use for a person born under the sign from 1894.^[5][4] In tales and fables Leo is also a name for a lion,^[8] and it is a man's name.^[9]

Timeline

• 1690 – Leo Minor, a constellation introduced by Hevelius.^[4]
• 1868 – Leonid, a meteor.^[4]
• 1894 – a person born under the sign.^[5][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. In astrology, the fifth sign of the zodiac, the Lion, associated with the period from about 23 July to 22 August.^[2][8]
2. A person born under this sign.^[5][2]
3. A northern constellation between Cancer and Virgo, containing the star Regulus and pictured as a lion.^[8][6][5]
4. A name for a lion in children's stories and fables.^[8]
5. A man's given name.^[9]

Word family

• Leonid
• Leo Minor

Related words

• Leon
• Lionel
• Leona
• lion
• leonine
• leopard
• Leonard
• Virgo

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
8. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.