legend

n.

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

[Middle English, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin (lēctiō) legenda, (lesson) to be read, from Latin, feminine gerundive of legere, to read.]

USAGE NOTE   Legend comes from the Latin adjective legenda, "for reading, to be read," which referred only to written stories, not to traditional stories transmitted orally from generation to generation. This restriction also applied to the English word legend when it was first used in the late 14th century in reference to written accounts of saints' lives, but ever since the 15th century legend has been used to refer to traditional stories as well. Today a legend can also be a person or achievement worthy of inspiring such a story-anyone or anything whose fame promises to be enduring, even if the renown is created more by the media than by oral tradition. Thus we speak of the legendary accomplishments of a major-league baseball star or the legendary voice of a famous opera singer. This usage is common journalistic hyperbole, and 55 percent of the Usage Panel accepts it.

For more information on legend, visit Britannica.com.

A notification placed on certain stock certificates describing the terms and conditions of sale and ownership.

Investopedia Says:
The main purpose of a legend is to notify owners of the restrictions placed on certain stocks. Sometimes, however, the legend may not be included on the certificate, so there may be restrictions on some stocks that have no legends. Generally, these restrictions occur when the initial owner enters into a shareholder agreement.

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1. Textual matter appearing beneath an illustration, drawing, or photograph that titles, describes, identifies, or clarifies that which appears above it. See also caption.

2. Explanatory list of symbols on a chart or map, including the mileage scale on a map.

3. Lettering or writing in an inscription, as on a coin or medal.

noun

1. A traditional story or tale that has no proven factual basis: fable, myth. See belief/unbelief, real/imaginary, religion.
2. A body of traditional beliefs and notions accumulated about a particular subject: folklore, lore, myth, mythology, mythos, tradition. See knowledge/ignorance.

n. an explanation of symbols used on a map, chart, sketch, etc., commonly printed in tabular form at the side of the map, etc.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Another term for the key on a map.

legend, a story or group of stories handed down through popular oral tradition, usually consisting of an exaggerated or unreliable account of some actually or possibly historical person—often a saint, monarch, or popular hero. Legends are sometimes distinguished from myths in that they concern human beings rather than gods, and sometimes in that they have some sort of historical basis whereas myths do not; but these distinctions are difficult to maintain consistently. The term was originally applied to accounts of saints' lives (see hagiography), but is now applied chiefly to fanciful tales of warriors (e.g. King Arthur and his knights), criminals (e.g. Faust, Robin Hood), and other sinners; or more recently to those bodies of biographical rumour and embroidered anecdote surrounding dead film stars and rock musicians (Judy Garland, John Lennon, etc.).

Adjective: legendary.

See also folklore.

In folklore theory, a ‘legend’ is a short traditional oral narrative about a person, place, or object that really exists, existed, or is believed to have existed; even when it recounts a supernatural or highly unusual event, this is claimed to have occurred in real life. Unlike a fairytale or joke, it is presented (and generally accepted) as true; it offers information, moral judgements, or warnings which reflect the preoccupations of the hearers. In practice, the status of legends is more complex, both as regards orality and perceived truthfulness. Many which were once purely oral have repeatedly appeared in books, local newspapers, and TV, from where they feed back into oral tellings; some are commercially exploited (e.g. by tourist guides) but not believed; in some cases, the truth of the tradition is a matter for heated dispute (e.g. Robin Hood, Lady Godiva), while in others what was once regarded as true and important is now mere entertainment.

Legends are extremely common in English folklore, and indeed throughout Europe. Various classifications have been proposed, some based on content, some on function, and some on range of dissemination. Legends about past heroes were the first type to be identified. Many, such as those about King Alfred burning the cakes and King Canute defying the tide, are plausible, and very widely known; others have supernatural content, but are told of real people, such as St Dunstan or Drake; in others, the historical identity of the hero has vanished under legendary motifs, and rediscovering it becomes a contentious issue, as with attempts to identify the ‘real’ Arthur or Robin Hood. The categories of ‘historical’ and ‘local’ legend are not mutually exclusive, since there are tales about national figures such as Cromwell which are only locally known, while others relate to people only important in local history.

Local legends are found throughout England, and are extremely varied, the one common factor being their association with landmarks or buildings in the locality; yet, far from being unique to one place, they generally fit story-patterns known elsewhere in England or abroad, thus being migratory as well as local. As regards claims to credibility, they range from amusing fantasies, through stories such as those about treasures and tunnels which may (or may not) contain the proverbial ‘grain of truth’, to religious and supernatural tales embodying firm beliefs and moral principles. Where the belief is actively held, personal experience stories (memorates) often develop alongside the supernatural legend, and reinforce it; in present-day England this often occurs as regards haunted sites.

Another major category is the contemporary legend; this type is notorious for its rapid international diffusion, yet each individual telling presents itself as a local story; some tellers, obviously, must be hoaxing their hearers, while others are saying what they honestly believe.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Briggs 1970-1 B, and Westwood 1985 contain numerous examples

IN BRIEF: A story handed down from the past. Also: The lettering on a coin or medal.

Every year at the festival the mayor of the town told the legend of the beautiful horse.

Quotes:

"Legend : a lie that has attained the dignity of age." - H. L. Mencken

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - legende, sagn, myte, fabel, sagnfortælling, sagnhistorie, sagnlitteratur
adj. - legendarisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
legende, overlevering, inscriptie, randschrift, legenda, verklaring der tekens, omschrijving

Français (French)
n. - légende
adj. - légendaire, fameux

Deutsch (German)
n. - Legende, Sage, Inschrift, Beschriftung
adj. - legendär, berühmt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μύθος, θρύλος, επιγραφή, υπόμνημα, λεζάντα, επεξήγηση (εικόνας κ.λπ.)

Italiano (Italian)
leggenda, legenda, motto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lenda (f)

Русский (Russian)
легенда, легендарная личность, надпись, подпись к иллюстрации, объяснение условных знаков на схеме

Español (Spanish)
n. - leyenda, saga, inscripción, palabras explicativas
adj. - relacionado con o perteneciente a una leyenda o saga

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - legend, helgonberättelse, folksaga, sägen, inskrift, omskrift, inskription, motto, devis på vapensköld, text, förklaring, teckenförklaring

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
传说, 图例, 传奇文学, 图标符号, 传说的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 傳說, 圖例, 傳奇文學, 圖示符號
adj. - 傳說的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 전설 , 전설 문학, 일화집, 설명집
adj. - 전설의 , 전설적 주인공의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 伝説, 伝説的人物, 伝説文学, 銘, 凡例, 説明

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أسطورة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אגדה, מיתוס, מקרא (במפה), כתובת (על מטבע), סיפור-חייו של קדוש‬
adj. - ‮מפורסם ביותר‬

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legend	Garmin Legend
Legend Bushnell	Etrex Legend