legend

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.
2. n. A body or collection of such stories.
3. n. A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.
4. n. One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame.
5. n. An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
6. n. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
7. n. An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In the early church, a selection of readings from Scripture appointed for use at divine service; later, and more especially, the chronicle or register of the lives of the saints, formerly read at matins and in the refectories of religious houses.
2. n. An entertaining story, especially in early times one relating to wonders or miracles told of a saint; hence, any unauthentic and improbable or non-historical narrative handed down from early times; a tradition.
3. n. A musical composition set to a poetical story, or intended to express such a story without words.
4. n. An inscription or device of any kind; particularly, the inscription on a shield or coat or arms, or the explanatory inscription on a monument or under a plan or drawing, or the inscription which accompanies a picture, whether descriptive or supposed to stand for words used by the persons represented in the picture.
5. n. In numismatics, the words or letters stamped on the obverse or the reverse of a coin or medal: sometimes differentiated from, inscription as the reading around the circumference of a coin or medal, and sometimes as all that is inscribed excepting the name of the sovereign or other person represented.
6. n. A roll; list; book.
7. To narrate or celebrate in or as in a legend.
8. To furnish with an inscription; inscribe with a legend: as, “a legended tomb,”

Wiktionary

1. n. A story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary past events.
2. n. A story in which a kernel of truth is embellished to an unlikely degree.
3. n. A leading protagonist in a historical legend.
4. n. A person of extraordinary accomplishment.
5. n. A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.
6. n. The text on a coin.
7. n. A fabricated backstory for a spy, with associated documents and records; a cover story.
8. n. UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, slang A cool, nice or helpful person, especially one who is male.
9. v. archaic, transitive To tell or narrate; to recount.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. That which is appointed to be read; especially, a chronicle or register of the lives of saints, formerly read at matins, and in the refectories of religious houses.
2. n. A story respecting saints; especially, one of a marvelous nature.
3. n. Any wonderful story coming down from the past, but not verifiable by historical record; a myth; a fable.
4. n. An inscription, motto, or title, esp. one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon an heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.
5. v. To tell or narrate, as a legend.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. brief description accompanying an illustration
2. n. a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events