Where does “legend” come from?
Legend comes from Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Latin legenda meaning "things to be read," derived from lego "to read," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- "to gather or collect."
legend (English): An unrealistic story depicting past events; A...
Definitions
- An unrealistic story depicting past events; A...
Ancestry of “legend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | legende | A hagiography, especially when read in church; A... |
| 2 | Old French | legende | legend |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | legenda | a legend, story, especially the lives of the... |
| 4 | Latin | legenda | legend; inflection of legendus: ##... |
| 5 | Latin | legendum | nominative neuter singular of legendus;... |
| 6 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 7 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |