noun
Leonid
LEE-uh-nihd
Leonid (noun) means a meteor belonging to the Leonid shower, an annual display of shooting stars that appears to radiate from the constellation Leo each November. Example: “They stayed up late to watch the leonids streak across the sky.”
noun
1
A meteor belonging to the Leonid shower, an annual display of shooting stars that appears to radiate from the constellation Leo each November.
"They stayed up late to watch the leonids streak across the sky."
"Night of your birth. Thirty-three. The Leonids they were called. God how the stars did fall. I looked for blackness, holes in the heavens. The Dipper stove."
— Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian … (1985)
"I wrote my first story about the ghost of a horse leaping from a cascade of flame just after the leonids had been more torrential than men had remembered them for centuries."
— Guy Davenport, Tatlin! (1974)
name
1
A male given name common in Russia, Ukraine, and other East Slavic countries.
"Leonid Brezhnev led the Soviet Union for nearly two decades."
How to use Leonid
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA meteor from the annual November shower linked to the constellation Leo; also a common East Slavic male first name.
Common pairings
the Leonid meteor shower
watch the Leonids
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Word forms
- Plural
- Leonids
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They stayed up late to watch the _____ streak across the sky.
Etymology
From Latin Leo (the constellation and word for "lion") plus the suffix "-id," meaning "belonging to" — so, literally, "member of the Leo group."
Frequently asked questions
What does “Leonid” mean?
The word “Leonid” means a meteor belonging to the Leonid shower, an annual display of shooting stars that appears to radiate from the constellation Leo each November. In plain terms, a meteor from the annual November shower linked to the constellation Leo; also a common East Slavic male first name.
How do you pronounce “Leonid”?
“Leonid” is pronounced LEE-uh-nihd (/ˈliː.ə.nɪd/ in IPA).
How do you use “Leonid” in a sentence?
Here is “Leonid” used in a sentence: “They stayed up late to watch the leonids streak across the sky.”
What part of speech is “Leonid”?
Depending on how it is used, “Leonid” can be a noun and a name.
Where does the word “Leonid” come from?
The word “Leonid” comes from Latin. From Latin Leo (the constellation and word for "lion") plus the suffix "-id," meaning "belonging to" — so, literally, "member of the Leo group.".
How many meanings does “Leonid” have?
“Leonid” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a meteor belonging to the Leonid shower, an annual display of shooting stars that appears to radiate from the constellation Leo each November.
