What does lion mean?

Definitions for lion
ˈlaɪ ənli·on

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word lion.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. lion, king of beasts, Panthera leonoun

    large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male

  2. lion, social lionnoun

    a celebrity who is lionized (much sought after)

  3. Leo, Lionnoun

    (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo

  4. Leo, Leo the Lion, Lionnoun

    the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22

Wiktionary

  1. lionnoun

    A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly to much of Europe. The term may apply to the species as a whole, to individuals, or to male individuals. It also applies to related species like mountain lions.

  2. lionnoun

    A stylized representation of a large cat, used on a coat of arms.

  3. lionnoun

    A Chinese foo dog.

  4. lionnoun

    An individual who shows strength and courage, attributes associated with the lion.

  5. lionnoun

    A famous person.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Lionnoun

    The fiercest and most magnanimous of fourfooted beasts.

    Etymology: lion, French; leo, Latin.

    King Richard’s surname was Cor-de-Lion, for his lion-like courage. William Camden, Remains.

    Dismay’d not this
    Our captains Macbeth and Banquo? —— Yes,
    As sparrows, eagles, or the hare, the lion. William Shakespeare.

    Be lion mettled; proud, and take no care
    Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are;
    Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

    The sphinx, a famous monster in Egypt, had the face of a virgin, and the body of a lion. Henry Peacham, on Drawing.

    They rejoice
    Each with their kind, lion with lioness;
    So fitly them in pairs thou hast combin’d. John Milton, Pa. Lost.

    The lion for the honours of his skin,
    The squeezing crab, and stinging scorpion shine
    For aiding heaven, when giants dar’d to brave
    The threat’ned stars. Thomas Creech, Manilius.

    See lion hearted Richard,
    Piously valiant, like a torrent swell’d
    With wintry tempests, that disdains all mounds,
    Breaking away impetuous, and involves
    Within its sweep trees, houses, men, he press’d,
    Amidst the thickest battle. Philips.

Wikipedia

  1. Lion

    The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not. The lion inhabits grasslands, savannas and shrublands. It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. During the Neolithic period, the lion ranged throughout Africa, Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, and Western and South Asia, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa and one population in western India. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. One of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions were prominent in Ancient Egypt, and depictions have occurred in virtually all ancient and medieval cultures in the lion's historic and current range.

ChatGPT

  1. lion

    A lion is a large carnivorous mammal belonging to the cat family, native to Africa and Northwest India. Known for its tawny coat, tufted tail, and shaggy mane (in males), the lion is often called the 'king of the beasts' for its regal appearance and demeanor. It is a social creature and lives in groups called prides. Lions are known for their strength, speed, and hunting skills.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Lionnoun

    a large carnivorous feline mammal (Felis leo), found in Southern Asia and in most parts of Africa, distinct varieties occurring in the different countries. The adult male, in most varieties, has a thick mane of long shaggy hair that adds to his apparent size, which is less than that of the largest tigers. The length, however, is sometimes eleven feet to the base of the tail. The color is a tawny yellow or yellowish brown; the mane is darker, and the terminal tuft of the tail is black. In one variety, called the maneless lion, the male has only a slight mane

  2. Lionnoun

    a sign and a constellation; Leo

  3. Lionnoun

    an object of interest and curiosity, especially a person who is so regarded; as, he was quite a lion in London at that time

  4. Etymology: [F. lion, L. leo, -onis, akin to Gr. le`wn. Cf. Chameleon, Dandelion, Leopard.]

Wikidata

  1. Lion

    The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline of 30–50% over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered. Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so. Sleeping mainly during the day, lions are primarily nocturnal, although bordering on crepuscular in nature.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Lion

    lī′un, n. a fierce quadruped of immense strength, the largest of all carnivorous animals, tawny-coloured, the male with a shaggy mane, springing on his prey with a terrific roar: a man of unusual courage: (astron.) Leo, a sign of the zodiac: any object of interest, esp. a famous or conspicuous person much sought after: an old Scotch coin, with a lion on the obverse, worth 74 shillings Scotch (James VI.): (her.) representation of a lion used as a bearing:—fem. Lī′oness.—ns. Lī′oncel, Lī′oncelle (her.), a small lion used as a bearing; Lī′onel, Lī′onet, a young lion; Lī′on-heart, one with great courage.—adj. Līon-heart′ed.—n. Lī′on-hunt′er, a hunter of lions: one who runs after celebrities with foolish adulation, or to get reflected glory from their company.—v.t. Lī′onise, to treat as a lion or object of interest.—n. Lī′onism.—adj. Lī′on-like.—Lion's provider, a popular name for the jackal, supposed to attend upon the lion: any humble friend or follower; Lion's share, the largest share.—A lion in the way, a danger to be met and overcome; British lion, the lion as the British national emblem; Put one's head into the lion's mouth, to get into a position of great danger. [O. Fr. lion—L. leon-em—Gr. leōn; Ger. löwe.]

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. LION

    A cruel beast who never patronizes the barber and is always bearded in his den, yet will furnish a close shave if you get near enough.

Editors Contribution

  1. lion

    A type of animal.

    Lions are a beautiful animal.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 12, 2017  

Suggested Resources

  1. lion

    Song lyrics by lion -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by lion on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. LION

    What does LION stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the LION acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Lion

    An ancient inn sign derived from the heraldic device of a particular monarch, or it might be, the Lord of the Manor. According to the colour of the animal in that device, so the name of the inn, after a mere name was substituted for the painted representation, came to be designated. Hence “Red Lion,” “Black Lion,” etc.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. LION

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lion is ranked #26282 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Lion surname appeared 929 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Lion.

    81% or 753 total occurrences were White.
    11.7% or 109 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    3% or 28 total occurrences were Black.
    2.3% or 22 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'lion' in Nouns Frequency: #1758

Anagrams for lion »

  1. lino

  2. loin

  3. noil

How to pronounce lion?

How to say lion in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of lion in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of lion in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of lion in a Sentence

  1. Heritage Auctions:

    Baseball has a much longer history and has a lion’s share of the sports collectors ’ market as a whole, but hockey has its place, and Wayne Gretzky definitely goes on the Mount Rushmore of greatest of all time, wayne Gretzky’s right up there with Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan.

  2. Matt Degen:

    It’s not your eyes tricking you, for the longest time, the majority of the EVs on the road were Teslas, and they still get the lion’s share of sales, but they’re now hardly the only game in town.

  3. Mary Schiavo:

    The similarities with Lion Air are too great not to be concerned.

  4. Chad Staples:

    The last thing you want if you're a firefighter is a lion on the loose.

  5. Pauline Musariri:

    It is a mad man who gather in an angry Lion's den.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

lion#1#5552#10000

Translations for lion

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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