Etymologically
Log in

legion

Etymology and origin of the English word legion

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1205
Borrowed from
Old French legion via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (legō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈliː.d͡ʒən/ (UK); /ˈli.d͡ʒən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English legiun, borrowed from Old French legion,[2][3][4] from Latin legiō (“a body of soldiers, a levy”),[2][3] from legō (“to choose, gather, levy”) (see legend),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to collect, gather”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Roman legion: probably before 1200, in Layamon's Brut, in Barnhart, about 1200 in Etymonline, about 1205 in the OED.[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

A Roman legion had about 3,000 to 6,000 men.[3][5] A vast host or multitude is from before 1300, often of angels or spirits,[6] and especially from Mark 5:9, my name is Legion: for we are many (about 1378 in Barnhart).[2][6][3] Modern military bodies are called legions from the 1590s, as the Foreign Legion,[3][6] and the Legion of Honour, founded by Napoleon in 1802, is named in English from 1827.[3][6] The American Legion of ex-servicemen was founded in 1919.[3][6] The adjective, numerous, as in their numbers are legion, is from 1678.[7][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1205 – a Roman legion.[6]
  • before 1300 – a multitude.[6]
  • 1598 – a modern military body.[6]
  • 1678 – legion (adjective).[7]
  • 1919 – the American Legion.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A unit of the ancient Roman army of 3,000 to 6,000 infantry, with cavalry.
  2. A large military force: the French Foreign Legion.
  3. A very large number; a multitude.
  4. An association of former servicemen.

Adjective

  1. Very numerous: their supporters are legion.

Word family

  • legionella
  • foreign legion

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Legion.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/legion. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·