Etymologically
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legendary

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 09:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ən.dɹi/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ən.də.ɹi/ (UK); /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənˌdɛɹ.i/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin legendarius (“relating to legends; a collection of saints' lives”),[2][3][4] from legenda (“things to be read”) (see legend), from legere (“to read”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun, a collection of legends, especially of saints' lives: 1513 in the OED, the 1510s in Etymonline.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective, of the nature of a legend, it is from 1563–87, about 1587 in MWU.[6][3] A writer of legends was a legendary in 1625.[6] The meaning very famous, celebrated as if in legend, is a modern sense.[7][8] In numismatics, legendary refers to the inscription on a coin (1830).[6]

Timeline

  • 1513 – a collection of legends.[6]
  • c. 1587 – of the nature of a legend.[3][6]
  • 1830 – of a coin's inscription.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Described in or based on legends.
  2. Very famous; celebrated: a legendary guitarist.

Noun

  1. A collection of legends, especially of saints' lives.

Word family

  • legendarily
  • prelegendary
  • pseudolegendary

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin