legion

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".^[1]

• enPR: lē′jən^[2]
• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.d͡ʒən/
• (General American, Canada, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈli.d͡ʒən/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.d͡ʒon/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːdʒən
• Hyphenation: le‧gion^[2]

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.

legion (plural legions)

2. (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

3. (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

4. (military) A large military or semi-military unit trained for combat; any military force; an army, regiment; an armed, organized and assembled militia.
   • 2009 February 22, Kevin Baker, “Blood on the Street”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Efforts to unionize were routinely met with clubbings, shootings, jailings, blacklistings and executions, perpetrated not only by well-armed legions of company goons, but also by police officers, deputies, National Guardsmen and even regular soldiers.

5. (often Legion or the Legion) A national organization or association of former servicemen, such as the American Legion.
6. A large number of people; a multitude.

   Synonyms: host, mass, multitude, sea, throng

   • 2009 July 31, William C. Rhoden, “Baseball Players’ Silence Led to Loud Drip of Names”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     With all due respect to Aaron, every era seems to have had its legion of wrongdoers and shortcutters who used whatever science was available to get an edge.

7. (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^[3]:

     where one Sin has entered, Legions will force their Way through the fame Breach.

   • 2002, Pia B. Gutierrez, The changing face of the Filipino, page 35:

     Afternoon TV mainstays like Leila Benitez and Bobby Ledesma of Darigold Jamboree gradually gave way to teenage loveteams Vi and Bot and Guy and Pip who had legions of fans watching their shows and movies and listening to their records.

   • 2019 May 28, Zachary Karabell, “How Hidden Billions Are Making the Rich Richer”, in The New York Times‎^[4], →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; […]

   • 2025 April 24, Ned Temko, “Trump’s ‘quick fix’ approach to diplomacy slow to yield results”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     It was a tantalizing promise, delivered with Donald Trump’s trademark panache: As dealmaker in chief, he would quickly end world conflicts that had defied his predecessors and their nattily dressed legions of career diplomats.

9. (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.

• (military unit): fireteam, section, troop, squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment, brigade, division, corps, wing, army, army group

• legionary
• legionnaire

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

1. (transitive) To form into legions.

• c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 268, column 1:

  If all / the diuells of hell be drawne in little, and Legion himſelfe / poſſeſt him, yet He ſpeake to him.

• c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 146:

  MACDUFF. Not in the Legions / Of horrid Hell, can come a Diuell more damn'd / In euils to top Macbeth.

• 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 5:9:

  And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

• 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 26:53:

  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

• 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

• 1742–1745, [Edward Young], The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: […] [Samuel Richardson] for A[ndrew] Millar […], and R[obert] Dodsley […], published 1750, →OCLC:

  What can preserve my life, or what destroy ? / An angel's arm can't snatch me from the grave; / Legions of angels can't confine me there.

• 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.

• Roman legion on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• legion (taxonomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• legion (demons) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Gileno, Inegöl, longie, Longie, eloign, Eligon, Ingelo, Gileño, ogle-in

Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

legion c (singular definite legionen, plural indefinite legioner)

1. legion

• IPA^(key): /leˈɡion/
• Rhymes: -ion
• Hyphenation: le‧gi‧on

legion

1. accusative singular of legio

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

• IPA^(key): /leˈʒjũː/, /leˈʒjõː/

legion f (plural legions)

1. (military) legion

• French: légion

Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

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

1. legion

• “legion” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• igloen, -logien

Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

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

1. legion

• “legion” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Learned borrowing from Latin legiō, legiōnis.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.ɡjɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɡjɔn
• Syllabification: le‧gion

legion m inan

1. legion

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

Ultimately from Latin lēgiō.

legion c

1. legion

• främlingslegion

• legionär

• legion in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• legion in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• legion in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• logien