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lion
(redirected from British Lions)

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
li·on  (ln)
n.
1. A large carnivorous feline mammal (Panthera leo) of Africa and northwest India, having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail, and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.
2. Any of several large wildcats related to or resembling the lion.
3.
a. A very brave person.
b. A person regarded as fierce or savage.
c. A noted person; a celebrity: a literary lion.
4. Lion See Leo.
Idiom:
lion's share
The greatest or best part.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin le, len-, from Greek len, of Semitic origin; see lb in Semitic roots.]
Word History: Old French lion is the source of English lion, and the Old French word comes from Latin le, lenis. After that the etymology is less clear. The Latin word is related somehow to Greek len, leontos (earlier *lewn, *lewontos), which appears in the name of the Spartan king Leonidas, "Lion's son," who perished at Thermopylae. The Greek word is somehow related to Coptic labai, laboi, "lioness." In turn, Coptic labai is borrowed from a Semitic source related to Hebrew lb' and Akkadian labbu. There is also a native ancient Egyptian word, rw (where r can stand for either r or l and vowels were not indicated), which is surely related as well. Since lions were native to Africa, Asia, and Europe in ancient times (Aristotle tells us there were lions in Macedon in his day), we have no way of ascertaining who borrowed which word from whom.

lion [ˈlaɪən]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) a large gregarious predatory feline mammal, Panthera leo, of open country in parts of Africa and India, having a tawny yellow coat and, in the male, a shaggy mane Related adj leonine
2. (History / Heraldry) a conventionalized lion, the principal beast used as an emblem in heraldry. It has become the national emblem of Great Britain
3. a courageous, strong, or bellicose person
4. a celebrity or idol who attracts much publicity and a large following
beard the lion in his den to approach a feared or influential person, esp in order to ask a favour
the lion's share the largest portion
[Old English līo, lēo (Middle English lioun, from Anglo-French liun), both from Latin leo, Greek leōn]

Lion [ˈlaɪən]
n
(Spirituality, New Age, Astrology & Self-help / Astrology) the. the constellation Leo, the fifth sign of the zodiac
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.lion - large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the malelion - large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
lion cub - a young lion
mane - long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
big cat, cat - any of several large cats typically able to roar and living in the wild
genus Panthera, Panthera - lions; leopards; snow leopards; jaguars; tigers; cheetahs; saber-toothed tigers
lioness - a female lion
lionet - a small or young lion
pride - a group of lions
2.lion - a celebrity who is lionized (much sought after)
celebrity, famous person - a widely known person; "he was a baseball celebrity"
3.lion - (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in LeoLion - (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do"
astrology, star divination - a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
4.Lion - the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22

lion
noun
1. hero, champion, fighter, warrior, conqueror, lionheart, brave person a frail little man, but with the heart of a lion
2. celebrity, star, superstar, idol, wonder, notable, big name, prodigy, luminary, celeb (informal), megastar (informal), V.I.P. By the 1920s Kahlil Gibran was a social and literary lion.
lion's share majority part, most, bulk, greater part, preponderance Nuclear research has received the lion's share of public funding.
Related words
adjective leonine
female lioness
young cub
collective nouns pride, troop
Translations
lion [ˈlaɪən]
A. Nleón m (fig) → celebridad f
the lion's sharela parte del león, la mejor parte
to beard the lion in his denentrar en el cubil de la fiera
to put one's head in the lion's mouthmeterse en la boca del lobo
to throw sb to the lionsabandonar a algn a su suerte
B. CPD lion cub Ncachorro m de león
lion tamer Ndomador(a) m/f de leones

lion [ˈlaɪən] nlion m
lion cub nlionceau m

lion
nLöwe m; he was one of the literary lions of his dayer war einer der bedeutendsten or größten Schriftsteller seiner Zeit; to fight or battle like a lionkämpfen wie ein Löwe; to throw somebody to the lions (fig)jdn den Löwen zum Fraß vorwerfen; the lion’s shareder Löwenanteil

lion [ˈlaɪən] nleone m (fig) (person) → celebrità f inv
to get or take the lion's share → fare la parte del leone
to put one's head in the lion's mouth (fig) → cacciarsi nei guai

lion
n lion [ˈlaiən]
a type of large, flesh-eating animal of the cat family, the male of which has a long, coarse mane. leeu أسَد лъв lev, lvice løve der Löwe λιοντάρι león; leona lõvi شیر نر leijona lion, lionne אַריֵה सिंह lav oroszlán singa ljón leone, leonessa ライオン 사자 liūtas lauva singa leeuw løve, løvinne lew leão leu лев lev, levica lev lav lejon, lejoninna สิงโต aslan 獅子 лев شیر sư tử
the lion's share
the largest share. die leeueaandeel حِصَّة الأسَد، الحِصَّه الكبيرَه лъвски пай lví podíl broderpart der Löwenanteil η μερίδα του λέοντος la parte del león lõviosa بزرگترین سهم leijonanosuus la part du lion הָחֵלֶק הָאֲרִי सबसे बड़ा, अच्छा हिस्सा lavlji dio oroszlánrész bagian terbanyak bróðurparturinn la parte del leone 最大の分け前 가장 큰 몫 didžiausia dalis lauvas tiesa bahagian yang paling besar leeuwedeel brorparten lwia część a maior porção partea leu­lui львиная доля leví podiel levji delež lavovski deo lejonparten หุ้นใหญ่สุด en büyük pay 最大的份額 левова частка سب سے بڑا، بہترین حصہ phần lớn nhất

lion أسد lev løve Löwe λιοντάρι león leijona lion lav leone ライオン 사자 leeuw løve lew leão лев lejon สิงโต aslan con sư tử 狮子


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Byline: James McCarthy WALES and British Lions star Mike Phillips will not face charges after allegations of a bust-up with a cabbie over a fare.
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