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:

Switch to new thesaurus

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

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

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 ?

A man may be ambitious of lying in a lion's den, but can hardly hope to sleep there quietly.

View in context

Bowls cautioned her lodger against venturing into the lion's den, "wherein you will rue it, Miss B., mark my words, and as sure as my name is Bowls." And Briggs promised to be very cautious.

View in context

A child might walk into a lion's den, but it would take a very brave man to go to its rescue."

View in context

"It's as if tha'd walked straight into a lion's den. If he'd been like he is most times he'd have throwed himself into one of his tantrums and roused th' house.

View in context

The Town Centre stage plays host to Asian Dub Foundation, Killing Joke, Slaves, Salt-N-Pepa and Prophets of Rage, among others - while The Lion's Den will have Groove Armada, Lauryn Hill and The Streets.

Festival; Going out Making the most of your free time

When state officers sit in a tribal gathering to start scheming how the public resources at their disposal should be dished to their birthplaces, then the country heads straight into a lion's den.

Uhuru order to stop secret Mt Kenya meetings good call

Lion's Den Athletics Club might be what the doctor prescribed for the growth of Botswana athletics and athletes welfare.

Lion's Den club affiliate to BAA

His topics are challenges that confront any attempt to construct a contextual hermeneutic, reading and nonspecialist readers: raising consciousness, reading and the Other: a framework for conversation, making connections, reading Daniel 1 in the classroom of national education, braving the furnace of the lion's den in the Lion City, whose dreams, and Daniel: from the ancient Near East to Singapore.

Contextual Biblical Hermeneutics as Multicentric Dialogue: Towards a Singaporean Reading of Daniel

The Ibrox boss came out roaring yesterday - but only with laughter at the idea his men will be going in to the lion's den at Celtic Park tomorrow lunchtime.

Lions den..no it's just the SAME 3 POINTS; SAYS GERS GAFFER STEVEN GERRARD

Continue reading "Henryk Broder in the Lion's Den" at...

Henryk Broder in the Lion's Den

The only attraction in the park is one lion and three lionesses, and even the road to the lion's den is dilapidated.

PHA seeks to uplift seven acres of Wild Life Safari Park

The Lion's Den inTreorchywill open with four shows featuring some of the leading lights of the UK comedy circuit.

Behind the scenes at the purpose-built comedy club opening in the Rhondda; It's only the second of its kind in Wales and will feature a host of top comedians

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