a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.

the body of stories of this kind, esp. as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan

the winning of the West in American legend.

an inscription, esp. on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like.

a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used. Compare key 1 ( def. 8 ) .

Numismatics . inscription ( def. 8 ) .

a collection of stories about an admirable person.

a person who is the center of such stories

She became a legend in her own lifetime.

Archaic . a story of the life of a saint, esp. one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint.

Obsolete . a collection of such stories or stories like them.

noun

fable , fiction , folklore , folk story , folk tale , lore , myth , mythology , mythos , narrative , saga , tale , tradition , cipher , code , device , epigraph , epitaph , head , heading , inscription , key , motto , rubric , table , underline , posy , story