li ‧ on /ˈlaɪən/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin leo , from Greek leon ]
1 .
a large animal of the cat family that lives in Africa and parts of southern Asia. Lions have gold-coloured fur and the male has a ↑ mane (=long hair around its neck) ⇨ lioness
2 . the lion’s share (of something) the largest part of something:
The firm has captured the lion’s share of the UK market.
3 . the lion’s den if you go into the lion’s den, you go among people who are your enemies