Hypertext Webster Gateway: "legion"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Legion
a regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing which
differed at different times. It originally consisted of three
thousand men, but in the time of Christ consisted of six
thousand, exclusive of horsemen, who were in number a tenth of
the foot-men. The word is used (Matt. 26:53; Mark 5:9) to
express simply a great multitude.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Legion \Le"gion\ (l[=e]"j[u^]n), n. [OE. legioun, OF. legion, F.
l['e]gion, fr. L. legio, fr. legere to gather, collect. See
{Legend}.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) A body of foot soldiers and cavalry
consisting of different numbers at different periods, --
from about four thousand to about six thousand men, -- the
cavalry being about one tenth.
2. A military force; an army; military bands.
3. A great number; a multitude.
Where one sin has entered, legions will force their
way through the same breach. --Rogers.
4. (Taxonomy) A group of orders inferior to a class.
{Legion of honor}, an order instituted by the French
government in 1802, when Bonaparte was First Consul, as a
reward for merit, both civil and military.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
legion
n 1: archaic terms for army [syn: {host}]
2: association of ex-servicemen; "the American Legion"
3: a large military unit; "the French Foreign Legion"
4: a vast multitude [syn: {horde}, {host}]
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