Noun

(en-noun)

The state of being actual or real.

:

*(Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)

*:A man fancies that he understands a critic, when in reality he does not comprehend his meaning.

*

*:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish,I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=(Joseph Stiglitz)

, volume=188, issue=26, page=19, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Globalisation is about taxes too , passage=It is time the international community faced the reality : we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most advanced countries today

A real entity, event or other fact.

:

*(John Milton) (1608-1674)

*:And to realities yield all her shows.

*(James Beattie) (1735-1803)

*:My neck may be an idea to you, but it is reality to me.

The entirety of all that is real.

An individual observer's own subjective perception of that which is real.

(lb) Loyalty; devotion.

*(Thomas Fuller) (1606-1661)

*:To express our reality to the emperor.

Realty; real estate.

Noun

(en noun)

A story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary past events.

The legend of Troy was discovered to have historical basis.

A story in which a kernel of truth is embellished to an unlikely degree.

The 1984 Rose Bowl prank has spawned many legends . Here's the real story.

A leading protagonist in a historical legend.

Achilles is a legend in Greek culture.

A person of extraordinary accomplishment.

Michael Jordan stands as a legend in basketball.

A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.

According to the legend on the map, that building is a school.

An inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

A fabricated backstory for a spy, with associated documents and records; a cover story.

According to his legend , he once worked for the Red Cross, spreading humanitarian aid in Africa.

* 1992 , edition, ISBN 067173458X, page 115:

If the documents are needed to establish "a light legend ," meaning a superficial cover story, no steps are taken to make sure that if someone calls the college or motor vehicle department, the name on the document will be registered.

* 2003 , Rodney Carlisle, , ISBN 0028644182, page 105:

Sorge solidified his own position by returning to Germany and developing a new legend . He joined the Nazi Party.

* 2005 , , ISBN 1591146607, page 25:

Both the agent's legend and documents were intended to stand up against casual questions from Soviet citizens, such as during a job interview, or a routine police document check, such as were made at railway stations.

(UK, Irish, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, slang) A cool, nice or helpful person, especially one who is male.

I've lost my pen! —Here mate, borrow mine. —You legend .