Leon

Part of speech: noun, proper noun

Definitions

1. A male member of the species typically known as a lion, noted for its distinctive mane and strong build
2. A reference to a powerful figure in various contexts, often symbolic of courage and strength
3. An appellation sometimes used in literary works or names, associated with nobility or majesty

Etymology: The name "Leon" carries two quite different histories that happen to meet in the same spelling. The first runs back to ancient Greece, where "léōn" simply meant "lion." That Greek word passed into Latin as "leo," and from there it became a personal name, often through diminutives of longer names such as Leonard and Leonardo. The lion's association with kingship is why the name came to suggest majesty and nobility. The second history is a place-name story. The Spanish city of León takes its name from Latin "legiō," meaning "legion," after the Legio VII Gemina, a Roman legion that settled there. That same root gave English the word "legion," so the two are doublets, one arriving through Old French and the other coming directly. Spanish colonial naming then spread the name across the Americas, from a Texan river and county to towns in New York, Iowa, Kansas and California.

Synonyms: lion, king, ruler, leader, hero