2[countableC]FAMOUS someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something 传奇人物
tennis/footballing/music etc legend
We must put more money into the sport if we want to create the tennis legends of the future.
我们若想造就未来网坛的传奇人物,就必须在这项运动上投入更多资金。
a marvellous player who was a legend in his own lifetime
在世的时候是一名传奇人物的杰出球员
► see thesaurus at star → living legendat living1(6)
n3be a legendBritish EnglishBrE informal to be a person that you admire a lot – used especially by young people
My stepfather is an absolute legend.
4[countableC] literary words that have been written somewhere, for example on a sign 〔匾额等上的〕镌刻文字,铭文
A sign above the door bore the legend ‘Patience is a Virtue’.
门的上方有一块匾额,上面写着“忍耐即美德”。
5.[countableC] technical the words that explain a picture or map 〔图片或地图的〕文字说明,图例 → key
nCOLLOCATIONS
adjectives
an old/ancient legend
You will have heard the old legend about how the rocks were formed.
a local legend
According to a local legend, the tree was planted by a wizard.
a popular legend (=one that many people believe)
A popular legend grew up about him.
a Greek/Roman/Celtic etc legend
the figure of Hercules in Greek legend
Arthurian legend(s) (=the legends about King Arthur of Britain)
The castle of Camelot plays an important role in Arthurian legend.
verbs
become legend/pass into legend
The incident became legend.
a legend grew (up) (=developed over time)
The legend of his bravery grew after he killed the dragon.
(the) legend says
Legend says King Arthur’s sword was thrown into one of the pools here.
the legend tells how
The legend tells how the King of Troy offended Poseidon, the sea god.
the legend goes (=says)
Two people, so the legend goes, refused to flee.
a legend is attached to something (=connected with it)
The cave has an unusual legend attached to it.
phrases
legend has it that (=says that)
Legend has it that Rhodes was home to the sun god Helios.
be the subject of legend (also be the stuff of legend) (=have stories told about them)
The island has long been the subject of legend.
myths and legends
I read and reread the Greek myths and legends.
Examples from the Corpus
legend• Legend has it that Sarah Heln, who died in 1913, was shutalive inside a lead coffin.• Among Mexican music fans, Fernandez is a legend.• The guy is a legend around the plant.• Joey, a legend among motor-cycling fans in Ulster, has always been a man of the people.• Khan had topped the field for ten years and was a legend in his sport.• His stories about that night became legend.• To kick off the event, he invitedfitnesslegendJack LaLanne to cavort with the models.• Michael Jordan is a living legend of basketball.• the rock and rolllegend Elvis Presley• The media could not resist the combination of pop meeting sporting legend.• Details of wounding are given in the legend to Table 1.• According to the legend, Bodhidharma fell asleep in the course of an extremely long meditation.• The Legend of PrinceValiant• the legend of RobinHood• According to legend, the whole castle was washed into the sea.
according to legend• That city had, according to legend, been destroyed in ancient times by fire from heaven.
tennis/footballing/music etc legend• The Wizard of the Dribble:A footballing legend comes to lunch.
legend2nadjectiveadjBritish EnglishBrE informal
nvery good – used especially by young people
This song is absolutely legend!
Originlegend
(1300-1400)Frenchlégende, from Medieval Latinlegenda, from Latinlegere“to gather, choose, read”