Leonid

American

[lee-uh-nid] / ˈli ə nɪd /

noun

Astronomy.

plural

Leonids, Leonides

any of a shower of meteors occurring around November 15 and appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo.

Leonid British

/ ˈliːənɪd /

noun

any member of a meteor shower that is usually insignificant, but more spectacular every 33 years, and occurs annually in mid-November, appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Leonid

1875–80; < New Latin Leonidēs, equivalent to Latin Leōn- (stem of Leō ) Leo + -idēs -id ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As he worked his way in closer, Mercader reported to Leonid Eitignon, a Soviet spymaster who “always appeared to be in control. A glass of cognac would last him an entire evening.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In the early 1980s, however, the leaders of the two superpowers of that time, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and President Ronald Reagan, teamed up to drive a knife through that particular fantasy.

From Salon

Admiral Leonid Rybalko, bundled in a wool hat and dark greatcoat, asked the submarine commanders to have a seat.

From Literature

A Presidium member named Leonid Ilychev dashed out of the mansion with a stack of hastily typed pages.

From Literature

And it was personal—one of Khrushchev’s own sons, Leonid, was killed in the war.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023