Attested (in Middle English, as legioun) around 1200, from Old French legion, from Latin legiō, legionem, from legō (“to gather, collect”); akin to legend, lecture. Doublet of León, which was borrowed from Spanish.
Generalized sense of “a large number” is due to an allusive phrase in Mark 5:9, "My name is Legion, for we are many".
Meanings
(not-comparable) Numerous; vast; very great in number.
dissatisfied customers and their legion complaints
Shepard: Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?
We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Saren's private lab, Virmire:
Russia’s labor and capital resources are woefully inadequate to overcome the state’s needs and vulnerabilities, which are legion.
Attested (in Middle English, as legioun) around 1200, from Old French legion, from Latin legiō, legionem, from legō (“to gather, collect”); akin to legend, lecture. Doublet of León, which was borrowed from Spanish.
Generalized sense of “a large number” is due to an allusive phrase in Mark 5:9, "My name is Legion, for we are many".
Meanings
(Ancient-Rome) The major unit or division of the Roman army, usually comprising 3000 to 6000 infantry soldiers and 100 to 200 cavalry troops.
A combined arms major military unit featuring cavalry, infantry, and artillery, including historical units such as the British Legion, and present-day units such as the Spanish Legion and the French Foreign Legion.
A large military or semi-military unit trained for combat; any military force; an army, regiment; an armed, organized and assembled militia.
Efforts to unionize were routinely met with clubbings, shootings, jailings, blacklistings and executions, perpetrated not only by well-armed legions of company goons, but also by police officers, deputies, National Guardsmen and even regular soldiers. 2009 February 22, Kevin Baker, “Blood on the Street”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2022:
(qualifier:often Legion or the Legion) A national organization or association of former servicemen, such as the American Legion.
A large number of people; a multitude.
Their complicated affairs are managed by a legion of accountants.
With all due respect to Aaron, every era seems to have had its legion of wrongdoers and shortcutters who used whatever science was available to get an edge. 2009 July 31, William C. Rhoden, “Baseball Players’ Silence Led to Loud Drip of Names”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022:
(often, plural) A great number.
It was a tantalizing promise, delivered with Donald Trump’s trademark panache: As dealmaker in chief, he would quickly end world conflicts that had defied his predecessors and their nattily dressed legions of career diplomats. 2025 April 24, Ned Temko, “Trump’s ‘quick fix’ approach to diplomacy slow to yield results”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2025:
Legions of lawyers make use of codes and loopholes like the EB-5 program in the United States, whereby anyone who invests $500,000 to $1 million can gain a visa; […] 2019 May 28, Zachary Karabell, “How Hidden Billions Are Making the Rich Richer”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2020:
Afternoon TV mainstays like Leila Benitez and Bobby Ledesma of Darigold Jamboree gradually gave way to teenage loveteams Vi and Bot and Guy and Pip who had legions of fans watching their shows and movies and listening to their records. 2002, Pia B. Gutierrez, The changing face of the Filipino, page 35:
where one Sin has entered, Legions will force their Way through the fame Breach. 1735, John Rogers (Canon of Wells.), “Sermon XV. Universal Obedience to the Laws of God, the indispensable Obligation of Christians”, in Nineteen Sermons on several occasions:
(dated) A group of orders inferior to a class; in scientific classification, a term occasionally used to express an assemblage of objects intermediate between an order and a class.
sq legjion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · eo legio (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · af legioen (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ja 部隊 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · de Legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · cmn 軍團 /军团 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · be легіён (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · hu légió (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ja レギオン (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · mk легија (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · da legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · uk легіо́н (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · sl legija (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · la legiō (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · nn legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · nb legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · fr légion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ko 부대 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ur لِیجَن (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · es legión (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · pt legião (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ru легио́н (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · cs legie (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · it legione (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · et leegion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · he לִגְיוֹן (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · mn легион (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · lv leģions (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · az legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · hi लीजन (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · fi legioona (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · vi binh đoàn (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · arc ܠܓܝܘܢܐ (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · mt leġjun (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · grc λεγεών (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · fy legioen (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · vo legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ka ლეგიონი (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · yi לעגיאָן (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · zza lejyon (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · pl legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · cmn 兵團 /兵团 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · tr lejyon (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · fa-ira لژیون (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ga léigiún (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ar فَيْلَق (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ia legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · cop ⲗⲉⲅⲉⲱⲛ (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · zza lejkar (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · nl legioen (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · cmn 古羅馬軍團 /古罗马军团 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ca legió (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · el λεγεώνα (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · uz legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · hy լեգեոն (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · sh ле̑гија (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · sh lȇgija (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · sv legion (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · io legiono (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · id legiun (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · bg легио́н (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ro legiune (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ja 軍団 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · sk légia (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · ko 군단 (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · lt legionas (the major unit or division of the Roman army) · arc לגיונא (the major unit or division of the Roman army)
Attested (in Middle English, as legioun) around 1200, from Old French legion, from Latin legiō, legionem, from legō (“to gather, collect”); akin to legend, lecture. Doublet of León, which was borrowed from Spanish.
Generalized sense of “a large number” is due to an allusive phrase in Mark 5:9, "My name is Legion, for we are many".