LION


Meaning of LION in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈlī-ən ]

noun

( plural lions )

Etymology: Middle English lioun, from Anglo-French leun, lion, from Latin leon-, leo, from Greek leōn

Date: 12th century

1.

a. or plural lion : a large heavily built social cat ( Panthera leo ) of open or rocky areas chiefly of sub-Saharan Africa though once widely distributed throughout Africa and southern Asia that has a tawny body with a tufted tail and a shaggy blackish or dark brown mane in the male

b. : any of several large wildcats ; especially : cougar

c. capitalized : Leo

2.

a. : a person felt to resemble a lion (as in courage or ferocity)

b. : a person of outstanding interest or importance

a literary lion

3. capitalized

[ Lions ( club )]

: a member of a major national and international service club

• li·on·like -ˌlīk adjective

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.