Also 3–5 legiun, 4 legioun, lygioun, 4–5 legyoun, 5–6 legyon. [a. OF. legiun, legion (mod.F. légion), a. L. legiōn-em, legio, f. legĕre to choose, levy (an army): cf. -ION.]
1. Rom. Antiq. A body of infantry in the Roman army, composed of different numbers at different periods, ranging from 3,000 in early times to 6,000 under Marius, and combined usually with a considerable complement of cavalry.
c. 1205. Lay., 6024. Werren on alche legiun Þus feole leodkempen, six þusend & six hundred & sixti iferen.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 30. Fro Charles kyng sanz faile thei brought a gonfaynoun Þat Saynt Morice in bataile [bare] befor þe legioun.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 75. When at the prayer of Genuis þe queene … legiouns of Rome were i-sende in to Irlond, þo was Caerleon a noble citee.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., III. lv. 36. Claudius sent certayne Legions of his Knyghtes into Irlande to rule that Countre, and retourned hym selfe to Rome.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, Gloss. 251. Legion, amongst the auncient Romaines, was certaine companies of their people of warre: consisting of 5 or 6000 footemen, and 300 horsemen.
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., III. vii. 72. You keepe by Land the Legions and the Horse whole, do you not? Ibid. (1611), Cymb., IV. iii. 24. The Romaine Legions, all from Gallia drawne, Are landed on your Coast.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 378. As Legions in the field their Front display, To try the Fortune of some doubtful Day.
1838. Arnold, Hist. Rome, I. i. 25. The thirty Centuries which made up the legion.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Ability, Wks. (Bohn), II. 33. [The Roman] disembarked his legions, erected his camps and towers.
1869. Rawlinson, Anc. Hist., 398. The legion was light, elastic, adapted to every variety of circumstance.
b. Applied to certain military bodies of modern times. Foreign legion [= F. légion étrangère]: a body of foreign volunteers in the French army in the 19th century, employed in the colonies or on distant expeditions.
1598. [see LEGIONARY B.]
1802. James, Milit. Dict., s.v., The British legion which served in America. Ibid., The Polish and Belgic legions, that form part of the French army.
1809. Wellington, in Gurw., Desp., V. 219. A legion is I understand a corps consisting of one, two or more battalions of infantry and a proportion of cavalry and artillery. Ibid. (1815), XII. 313. It appears impossible for the Hanoverian Government to bear the expence of the Legion as now constituted.
1838. Murray’s Hand-bk. N. Germ., 154. The Farm of La Haye Sainte … was at first occupied by the soldiers of the German Legion.
a. 1877. Mrs. Norton, Bingen on the Rhine. A soldier of the Legion lay dying at Algiers.
2. Vaguely used for: A host of armed men.
c. 1325. Chron. Eng., 633 (Ritson). The spere That Charlemayne wes wonet to bere Tofore the holy legioun.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 605. The lege-mene of Lettow with legyons ynewe.
c. 1440. Partonope, 2691. Wyth hym a legyoun Of his knyghtis.
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 59. The aduerse windes … haue giuen him time To land his Legions all as soone as I.
1715–20. Pope, Iliad, XIII. 845. Nor knew great Hector how his legions yield.
1738. Glover, Leonidas, II. 318. With lightening blast their legions.
3. A vast host or multitude (of persons or things): freq. of angels or spirits, with reminiscence of Matt. xxvi. 53.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 15809. If i mi fader wald be-seke, I moght wit-vten lett Haf tuelue thusand legions.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. I. 109. Lucifer with legiouns lered it in heuene.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 264. Many lygiouns of aungels.
1413. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), V. xiv. (1859), 79. No doute but many a legyon wenten to the foote of Olyuet, ordeynyng theyr procession to brynge hym therupon.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, viii. 9. With angellis licht, in legionis, Thow art illumynit all about.
1605. Shaks., Macb., IV. iii. 55. Not in the Legions Of horrid Hell, can come a Diuell more damn’d In euils, to top Macbeth.
1634. Canne, Necess. Separ. (1849), 234. To sustain even a legion of reproaches.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 301. He … called His Legions, Angel Forms, who lay intrans’d.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 96, ¶ 10. Innumerable legions of appetites and passions.
1824. W. Irving, T. Trav., II. 19. As I approached the house, a legion of whelps sallied out.
1865. J. H. Newman, Gerontius, § 4. So now his [Satan’s] legions throng the vestibule.
1865. Lecky, Ration., I. i. 25. The air was filled with unholy legions.
b. In Mark v. 9. and echoes of this passage; esp. in the (somewhat inaccurate) allusive phrase their name is Legion = ‘they are innumerable.’
1382. Wyclif, Mark v. 9. A legioun is name to me; for we ben manye.
1526. Tindale, ibid. My name is Legion, for we are many.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., III. iv. 95. If all the diuels of hell be drawne in little, and Legion himselfe possest him.
1665. Glanvill, Scepsis Sci., xviii. 116. The same undivided essence … is here multiplyed into Legion.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xlv. ‘Their name is Legion,’ she replied.
1873. Helps, Anim. & Mast., vi. (1875), 143. The number of such sayings anticipated by this original maxim is legion.
4. Legion of Honour [= F. légion d’honneur]: an order of distinction, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, conferred as a reward for civil or military services, etc.
1827. Scott, Napoleon, V. 63. The Legion of Honour was destined to form a distinct and particular class of privileged individuals, whom, by honours and bounties bestowed on them, he resolved to bind to his own interest.
1837. Marryat, Olla Podr., xxix. The innkeeper was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
1841–4. Emerson, Ess., Nom. & Real, Wks. (Bohn), I. 250. The world is full of masonic ties, of guilds, of secret and public legions of honour.
5. Nat. Hist. (See quot.)
1859. Page, Handbk. Geol. Terms, Legion … A term occasionally used in Natural History classification to express an assemblage of objects intermediate in extent between a class and order. A class may thus embrace several legions, and a legion contain many orders.
6. attrib. or adj. = Innumerable, multitudinous.
1678. Norris, Coll. Misc. (1699), 282. By this it [Pride] becomes a Multiplied, a Legion evil.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, X. 443. When pouring o’er his legion slaves on Greece, The eastern despot bridged the Hellespont.
1891. C. T. C. James, Rom. Rigmarole, 148. The poor curate’s wife … with the legion family clothed from the odds and ends of her rich sister’s cast-offs.
