lion

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li·on

(lī′ən)

1. A large carnivorous feline mammal (Panthera leo) of Africa and northwest India, having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail, and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.

2. A mountain lion.

a. A very brave person.

b. A person regarded as fierce or savage.

c. A noted person; a celebrity: a literary lion.

4. Lion See Leo.

Idiom:

lion's share

The greatest or best part.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin leō, leōn-, from Greek leōn, of Semitic origin; see lbʔ in Semitic roots.]

Word History: Old French lion is the source of English lion, and the Old French word comes from Latin leō, leōnis. The Latin word is related somehow to Greek leōn, leontos (earlier *lewōn, *lewontos), which appears in the name of the Spartan king Leonidas, "Lion's son," who perished at Thermopylae. The Greek word is somehow related to Coptic labai, laboi, "lioness." In turn, Coptic labai is borrowed from a Semitic source related to Hebrew lābī' and Akkadian labbu. There is also a native ancient Egyptian word, rw (where r can stand for either r or l and vowels were not indicated), which is surely related as well. Since lions were native to Africa, Asia, and Europe in ancient times (Aristotle tells us there were lions in Macedon in his day), we have no way of ascertaining who borrowed which word from whom.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lion

(ˈlaɪən)

1. (Animals) a large gregarious predatory feline mammal, Panthera leo, of open country in parts of Africa and India, having a tawny yellow coat and, in the male, a shaggy mane.

2. (Heraldry) a conventionalized lion, the principal beast used as an emblem in heraldry. It has become the national emblem of Great Britain

3. a courageous, strong, or bellicose person

4. a celebrity or idol who attracts much publicity and a large following

5. beard the lion in his den to approach a feared or influential person, esp in order to ask a favour

6. the lion's share the largest portion

[Old English līo, lēo (Middle English lioun, from Anglo-French liun), both from Latin leo, Greek leōn]

Lion

(ˈlaɪən)

(Astrology) the Lion the constellation Leo, the fifth sign of the zodiac

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

li•on

(ˈlaɪ ən)

n.

1. a large, usu. tawny-yellow cat, Panthera leo, of Africa and S Asia, having a tufted tail and, in the male, a large mane.

2. a person of great strength or courage.

3. a prominent or influential person who is sought after as a celebrity: a literary lion.

4. (cap.) Leo ¹.

5. (cap.) a member of a Lions Club.

[1200–50; < Old French, variant of leon < Latin leōnem, acc. of leō < Greek léōn; replacing Middle English, Old English lēo < Latin]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	lion - large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male king of beasts, Panthera leo lion cub - a young lion mane - long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck big cat, cat - any of several large cats typically able to roar and living in the wild genus Panthera, Panthera - lions; leopards; snow leopards; jaguars; tigers; cheetahs; saber-toothed tigers lioness - a female lion lionet - a small or young lion pride - a group of lions
	2.	lion - a celebrity who is lionized (much sought after) social lion celebrity, famous person - a widely known person; "he was a baseball celebrity"
	3.	Lion - (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo Leo individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" astrology, star divination - a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
	4.	Lion - the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22 Leo the Lion, Leo

lion

noun

1. hero, champion, fighter, warrior, conqueror, lionheart, brave person a frail little man, but with the heart of a lion

2. celebrity, star, superstar, idol, wonder, notable, big name, prodigy, luminary, celeb (informal), megastar (informal), V.I.P. By the 1920s Kahlil Gibran was a social and literary lion.

lion's share majority part, most, bulk, greater part, preponderance Nuclear research has received the lion's share of public funding.

Related words
adjective leonine
female lioness
young cub
collective nouns pride, troop

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

lion

noun

1. A famous person:

celebrity, hero, luminary, name, notable, personage, personality.

Informal: big name.

2. An important, influential person:

character, dignitary, eminence, leader, nabob, notability, notable, personage.

Informal: big-timer, heavyweight, somebody, someone, VIP.

Slang: big shot, big wheel, bigwig, muckamuck.

Translations

أَسَدٌأسَد

levlvice

løve

Löwe Leu

λιοντάρι

leono

león

lõvi

leijona

lion

lav

oroszlán

singa

ljón

Leone la parte del leone

ライオン

사자

leo

liūtasdidžiausia dalis

lauva

leu

lev

lejon

simba

สิงโต

aslan

con sư tửsư tử

狮子

lion

[ˈlaɪən]

A. N → león m (fig) → celebridad f
the lion's share → la parte del león, la mejor parte
to beard the lion in his den → entrar en el cubil de la fiera
to put one's head in the lion's mouth → meterse en la boca del lobo
to throw sb to the lions → abandonar a algn a su suerte

B. CPD lion cub N → cachorro m de león
lion tamer N → domador(a) m/f de leones

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lion

[ˈlaɪən] n → lion mlion cub n → lionceau m

lion

n → Löwe m; he was one of the literary lions of his day → er war einer der bedeutendsten or größten Schriftsteller seiner Zeit; to fight or battle like a lion → kämpfen wie ein Löwe; to throw somebody to the lions (fig) → jdn den Löwen zum Fraß vorwerfen; the lion’s share → der Löwenanteil

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lion

[ˈlaɪən] n → leone m (fig) (person) → celebrità f inv
to get or take the lion's share → fare la parte del leone
to put one's head in the lion's mouth (fig) → cacciarsi nei guai

lion

(ˈlaiən) – feminine ˈlioness – noun

a type of large, flesh-eating animal of the cat family, the male of which has a long, coarse mane.

the lion's share

the largest share.

lion

→ أَسَدٌ lev løve Löwe λιοντάρι león leijona lion lav leone ライオン 사자 leeuw løve lew leão лев lejon สิงโต aslan con sư tử 狮子

References in classic literature ?

The charging lion was all too lifelike--they saw that in the brief instant of the charge; but beneath the tawny hide they knew was hid the soft flesh of the white man, and how could that withstand the assault of many war spears?

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Closer and closer to the dread destroyer he came, until, with a sudden, angry growl, the lion rose from his bed not ten paces from the youth.

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Hannibal was old, but he was reputed the largest lion in captivity, and he had not lost his teeth.

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Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion bounded into the road.

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Three metamorphoses of the spirit do I designate to you: how the spirit becometh a camel, the camel a lion, and the lion at last a child.

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As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning.

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He paused and looked pensively at a sick lion in the cage opposite.

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Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.

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Straight he went to the rim of the gulch where he had imprisoned Numa, the lion. Very stealthily he approached the edge and peered over.

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"Look ye, senor," said Sancho, "there's no enchantment here, nor anything of the sort, for between the bars and chinks of the cage I have seen the paw of a real lion, and judging by that I reckon the lion such a paw could belong to must be bigger than a mountain."

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The king, however, had a lion which was a wondrous animal, for he knew all concealed and secret things.

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His savage eyes blazed into the direction from which the wind had borne down the warning to him and a moment later the grasses at one side of the clearing parted and Numa, the lion, strode majestically into view.