One way to picture legend: a story handed down so long that nobody checks it any more — it is simply what gets told. From the story comes the person the stories are told about, and from there a warm bit of slang for anyone who has just done something great. The map-key sense belongs to the word's older meaning, 'the words to be read'.
From the word’s history
From Medieval Latin legenda, literally '(things) to be read', from Latin legere 'to read; to gather, select'. The earliest English use (early 14c.) was a narrative — especially a saint's life read aloud; 'nonhistorical or mythical story' followed in the late 14c. The 'inscription on a coin or medal' sense appears around the 1610s, and the map-key sense only in 1903.
來自中世紀拉丁文 legenda，字面就是「要讀的那些東西」，源自拉丁文 legere「讀、採集、挑選」。英文最早的用法（14 世紀初）指的是一段被朗讀出來的敘事，尤其是聖徒的故事；14 世紀晚期才擴大成「非史實的傳說」。「鑄在錢幣或獎章上的字」約在 1610 年代出現，地圖上的「圖例」則要到 1903 年。所以傳說和圖例並不是巧合，兩邊都回到「被讀的文字」這個源頭。
Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com/word/legend)
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原始詞典資料15 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Legendname
- 1
A male given name.
legendnoun/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/
- 1
The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
- As a child she had nothing to read but the legends of early Christian martyrs.
- 2
An unrealistic story depicting past events.
- The legend of Troy was discovered to have a historical basis.
- 3
An unrealistic story depicting past events.
- the legend of Robin Hood
- 4
An unrealistic story depicting past events.
- The 1984 Rose Bowl prank has spawned many legends. Here's the real story.
- 5
An unrealistic story depicting past events.
- According to his legend, he once worked for the Red Cross, spreading humanitarian aid in Africa.
- If the documents are needed to establish "a light legend," meaning a superficial cover story, no steps are taken to make sure that if someone calls the college or motor vehicle department, the name on the document will be registered.
- 6
Such stories considered collectively; unverified traditional tales.
- According to ancient legend, a Greek girl, partaking of saffron for an entire week, could not resist a lover.
- 7
A person related to a legend or legends.
- Achilles is a legend in Greek culture.
- 8
A person related to a legend or legends.
- Michael Jordan stands as a legend in basketball.
- Sachin Tendulkar stands as a legend in cricket.
另外 5 個記錄的用法
- 9
slangA person related to a legend or legends.
- I've lost my pen! —Here mate, borrow mine. —You legend.
- 10
cartographygeographynatural-sciencesA key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.
- According to the legend on the map, that building is a school.
- 11
governmentheraldryhobbiesAn inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.
- Further clues are provided by milk-floats bearing the legend 'Lord Rayleigh's Dairies: A Family Business', and a number of signs indicating the whereabouts of various departments of Lord Rayleigh's Farms.
- […]there were three small brass coins there, the gift of Ymar. Their legends, like their faces, had worn away; and they were dark with verdigris — in appearance precisely the ancient things they were.
- 12
A musical composition set to a poetical story.
- 13
governmentmilitarynavalThe design and specification of a vessel.
- The legend displacement on the basis then in use was 48,000 tons, the corresponding standard displacement as defined by the Washington Treaty being 47,540 tons.
- The legend and sketch designs were submitted to the Board on 27th March 1916 and, after examining a model and the drawings, the Sea Lords generally favoured proposal 'B'; the extra weight involved being acceptable.
legendverb/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/
- 1
archaicTo tell or narrate; to recount.
- Nor ladie's wanton love , nor wand'ring knight, Legend I out in rymes all richly dight
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。