legion

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See also: Legion, légion, and legión

English

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Reenactment of a Roman legion.

Etymology

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Attested (in Middle English, as legioun) around 1200, from Old French legion, from Latin legiō, legionem, from legō (“to gather, collect”); akin to legend, lecture. Doublet of León, which was borrowed from Spanish.

Generalized sense of “a large number” is due to an allusive phrase in Mark 5:9, "my name is Legion: for we are many" (KJV).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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legion (not comparable)

  1. Numerous; vast; very great in number
    Synonyms: multitudinous, numerous
    Russia’s labor and capital resources are woefully inadequate to overcome the state’s needs and vulnerabilities, which are legion.
    dissatisfied customers and their legion complaints
    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Saren's private lab, Virmire:
      Shepard: Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?
      We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom.

Translations

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Noun

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legion (plural legions)

  1. (military, Ancient Rome) The major unit or division of the Roman army, usually comprising 3000 to 6000 infantry soldiers and 100 to 200 cavalry troops.
    Meronyms: cohort, maniple, century
  2. (military) A combined arms major military unit featuring cavalry, infantry, and artillery, including historical units such as the British Legion, and present-day units such as the Spanish Legion and the French Foreign Legion.
    Coordinate terms: combat team, regimental combat team, brigade combat team
  3. (military) A large military or semi-military unit trained for combat; any military force; an army, regiment; an armed, organized and assembled militia.
  4. (often Legion or the Legion) A national organization or association of former servicemen, such as the American Legion.
  5. A large number of people; a multitude.
    Synonyms: host, mass, multitude, sea, throng
  6. (often plural) A great number.
    • 1735, John Rogers (Canon of Wells.), “Sermon XV. Universal Obedience to the Laws of God, the indispensable Obligation of Christians”, in Nineteen Sermons on several occasions‎[1]:
      where one Sin has entered, Legions will force their Way through the fame Breach.
    • 2019 May 28, Zachary Karabell, “How Hidden Billions Are Making the Rich Richer”, in The New York Times‎[2], →ISSN:
      Legions of lawyers make use of codes and loopholes like the EB-5 program in the United States, whereby anyone who invests $500,000 to $1 million can gain a visa; […]
  7. (dated, taxonomy) A group of orders inferior to a class; in scientific classification, a term occasionally used to express an assemblage of objects intermediate between an order and a class.

Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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legion (third-person singular simple present legions, present participle legioning, simple past and past participle legioned)

  1. (transitive) To form into legions.

Quotations

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  • 1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 80:
    Now we exult, by mighty ANNA's Care / Secure at home, while She to foreign Realms / Sends forth her dreadful Legions, and restrains / The Rage of Kings
  • 1821, Lord Byron, “(please specify the page)”, in Sardanapalus, a Tragedy; The Two Foscari, a Tragedy; Cain, a Mystery, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC:
    SAR. I fear it not; but I have felt—have seen— / A legion of the dead.

References

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

Noun

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legion c (singular definite legionen, plural indefinite legioner)

  1. legion

Declension

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Declension of legion
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative legion legionen legioner legionerne
genitive legions legionens legioners legionernes

Esperanto

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [leˈɡion]
  • Rhymes: -ion
  • Hyphenation: le‧gi‧on

Noun

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legion

  1. accusative singular of legio

Middle French

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /leˈʒjũː/, /leˈʒjõː/

Noun

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legion f (plural legions)

  1. (military) legion

Descendants

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  • French: légion

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

Noun

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legion m (definite singular legionen, indefinite plural legioner, definite plural legionene)

  1. legion

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

Noun

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legion m (definite singular legionen, indefinite plural legionar, definite plural legionane)

  1. legion

Further reading

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin legiō, legiōnis.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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legion m inan

  1. legion

Declension

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Declension of legion
singular plural
nominative legion legiony
genitive legionu legionów
dative legionowi legionom
accusative legion legiony
instrumental legionem legionami
locative legionie legionach
vocative legionie legiony

Further reading

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  • legion in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • legion in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Swedish

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

Noun

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legion c

  1. legion

Declension

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Declension of legion 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative legion legionen legioner legionerna
Genitive legions legionens legioners legionernas

Derived terms

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References

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Anagrams

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