lion
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lion¹
- /ˈlaɪən/
Rhymes with -aɪən
Where it comes from
From Middle English lyoun, lion, leon, borrowed from Old French lion, from Latin leō, (accusative: leōnem), from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn), of unclear origin. Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and Lyon. Displaced Old English lēo, from the same Latin source.
noun lions · lion · lyon
- A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. Tigers and lions share a common ancestor from a few million years ago.
- A male lion, as opposed to a lioness, which is characterized by having a flowing shaggy mane and taking little part in hunting, which can be done cooperatively.
- Any of various extant and extinct big cats, especially the mountain lion.
- A Chinese foo dog.
- A person who shows attributes associated with the lion, such as strength, courage, or ferocity. It was said of [Edward Plantaganet] that ‘he was a lion for pride and ferocity but a pard for inconstancy and changeableness, not keeping his word or promise but excusing himself with fair words’.
- A famous person regarded with interest and curiosity. During this period, we were the lions of the neighbourhood; and, no doubt, strangers from the distant villages were taken to see the "Karhowrees" (white men), in the same way that countrymen, in a city, are gallanted to the Zoological Gardens.
- A light brown color that resembles the fur of a lion.
- An old Scottish coin, with a lion on the obverse, worth 74 shillings.
adjective lyon
- Of the light brown color that resembles the fur of a lion.
Lion²
proper noun the Lion
- The constellation and zodiacal sign Leo. The Lion reigneth in the Back, Sides, Bones, Sinews and Griſles.
noun Lions
- A player for National Football League's Detroit Lions.
- A player for Canadian Football League's B.C. Lions.
- A player for the England football team.
- A player or supporter of the Brisbane Lions.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: panthera leo, social lion, tiger, leopard, cougar, wolf, lioness, serpent, seal, steller, snake, wolffish, mouth, leo, bang, black
Translations
Every language
noun big cat Panthera leo
| Español | león |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 사자 saja |
| 日本語 | ライオン raion, 獅子 shishi |
| 中文 | 獅子 /狮子 shīzi, 獅 /狮 shī |
| हिन्दी | सिंह sĩh, शेर śer, सिंघ siṅgh, बबर babar, बबर-शेर babar-śer, केहर kehar |
| Kiswahili | simba |
| Português | leão |
| Français | lion, lionne |
| Deutsch | Löwe, Leu, Löwchen, Löwlein, Löwin |
| Italiano | leone |
| Ελληνικά | λιοντάρι liontári |
| Română | leu |
| Русский | лев lev, льви́ца lʹvíca |
| Tiếng Việt | sư tử |
| العربية | أَسَد ʔasad, لَيْث layṯ |
| עברית | אַרְיֵה aryé, ארי ari, לביא lavi, כפיר kfir |
noun person with strength and courage
| हिन्दी | शेरदिल śerdil |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | simba |
| Français | leon |
| Ελληνικά | λιοντάρι liontári |
noun famous person
| Русский | све́тский лев svétskij lev, лев lev, знамени́тость znamenítostʹ |
|---|
Talk about this word "lion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lion. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lion. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lion "lion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lion.Cite this
@misc{lion_2026,
title = {lion},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lion},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
