Meaning of "urban legend" in the English dictionary

PRONUNCIATION OF URBAN LEGEND

urban legend  [ˈɜːbən ˈledʒənd]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF URBAN LEGEND

Urban legend is a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES URBAN LEGEND MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Urban legend

An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's veracity, but merely that it is in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it. Despite its name, an urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban area. Rather, the term is used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in pre-industrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term "contemporary legend". Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail or social media. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"; the phrase has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story. Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations.

TRANSLATION OF URBAN LEGEND

Find out the translation of urban legend to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of urban legend from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «urban legend» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 都市传说
• Translator English - Spanish: leyenda urbana
• English: urban legend
• Translator English - Hindi: शहरी कथा
• Translator English - Arabic: أسطورة الحضرية
• Translator English - Russian: городская легенда
• Translator English - Portuguese: lenda urbana
• Translator English - Bengali: শহুরে কিংবদন্তী
• Translator English - French: légende urbaine
• Translator English - Malay: Legenda bandar
• Translator English - German: urbane Legende
• Translator English - Japanese: 都市伝説
• Translator English - Korean: 도시 전설
• Translator English - Javanese: Kutha legenda
• Translator English - Vietnamese: truyền thuyết đô thị
• Translator English - Tamil: நகர்ப்புற புராணம்
• Translator English - Marathi: शहरी कथा
• Translator English - Turkish: şehir efsanesi
• Translator English - Italian: leggenda metropolitana
• Translator English - Polish: miejska legenda
• Translator English - Ukrainian: міська легенда
• Translator English - Romanian: legenda urbana
• Translator English - Greek: αστικός μύθος
• Translator English - Afrikaans: stedelike legende
• Translator English - Swedish: urban legend
• Translator English - Norwegian: urban legende

QUOTES WITH «URBAN LEGEND»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word urban legend.

1

Annie Jacobsen

Urban legend has it that Area 51 is connected by underground tunnels and trains to other secret facilities around the country.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «URBAN LEGEND»

Discover the use of urban legend in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to urban legend and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Urban Legend

SHE KEPT HER SECRETS BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE As the owner of one of the hottest nightclubs in New York City, Tessa Van Doren was a target for rumors.

Erica Orloff, 2008

Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition ...

Revised and expanded to include updated versions of the entries from the award-winning first edition, this work provides additional entries on a wide range of new topics that include terrorism, recent political events, and Hurricane Katrina ...

Jan Harold Brunvand, 2012

The Wordsworth Book of Urban Legend

This volume is a reference source to literature in the English language throughout the world.

Rodney Dale, 2000

Urban legend

A haunting and poetic domestic drama.

Laurence Wilson, 2004

Christianity: The Ultimate Urban Legend

Book Two in the "Misconception Trilogy" presents a thought-provoking analysis of the New Testament highlighting its contradictions, oral traditions, and urban legends.

Paul John, 2006

Urban Legend - Sir Dove-Myer Robinson

In this book we look at both his personal life and his outstanding political career, which affected not only the future of Auckland, but the future of New Zealand.

John Edgar, 2012

Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition ...

Although the term “urban legend” has been found as early as 1925 in a New York Times column, it was not employed there in the modern folkloristic sense, but was used simply with reference to a faulty assumption about urban life. “Urban ...

Jan Harold Brunvand, 2012

The First Death, Ghost Dog- The Urban Legend

They say a dog's best friend is a man, or is he?

Jody Sumpter, 2004

The Green Lady: Phildelphia's Urban Legend

The story takes place in West Philadelphia and is narrated by its central character Lamar Cobb, a writer for a newspaper called the Philadelphia Express. His mission is to find out the truth about "The Green Lady.

Will Glenn, 2005

The Wonderful and Surprising History of Sweeney Todd: The ...

Tells the fascinating story of how the Sweeny-Todd-myth developed from popular melodrama in the 1850s to film, ballet and musical incarnations in the 20th century.>

Robert L Mack, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «URBAN LEGEND»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term urban legend is used in the context of the following news items.

THE CAVE LADY: Audio recordings reveal Vegas urban legend was …

LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) – A few years ago, News 3 put together a story based on an urban legend about a woman who lived in a cave in the side of ... «News3LV, Jul 15»

Urban legend at Bluesfest

Keith Urban performing on the Bell Stage at Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ont. on ... Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson talks to the crowd before Keith Urban ... «Ottawa Sun, Jul 15»

Legend, or Urban Legend? The Tale of Polybius

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." - The Usual Suspects, 1995. A peculiar and addictive arcade game rumored to ... «The Escapist, Jun 15»

Documentary on videogame urban legend Polybius hits Kickstarter

Documentary on videogame urban legend Polybius hits Kickstarter ... Although widely dismissed as a hoax, the Polybius legend has just enough shreds of truth ... «Den Of Geek, May 15»

#MySanDiego: Balboa Park's urban legend

SAN DIEGO – While Balboa Park is a well-known San Diego jewel, it also carries a strange urban legend dating back to the 1920s. The story involves Marines ... «10News, May 15»

Video: Urban Legend Of The Corpse On The Tube

Ever heard the urban legend of the corpse on the tube? Scott Wood (and friends) demonstrate how it works... Scott is co-organiser and host of London Fortean ... «Londonist, Apr 15»

Smiley: Urban legend

In an idle moment (yes, even I have them) I was thumbing through Jan Harold Brunvand's 1999 classic, “Too Good to Be True,” a collection of “urban legends” ... «The Advocate, Apr 15»

'Gore Orphanage,' Ohio urban legend, being made into a movie

Gore Orphanage, a popular Ohio urban legend set in the depression era, is being made into a movie. The video of the trailer for the 'Gore Orphanage' movie ... «newsnet5.com, Apr 15»

THAT Terrifying 'Doggy Lick' Urban Legend Just Came True And …

You might recognize this tale as a popular urban legend, but I assure you: this is no mythical story - it's 100% true and it happened last week. If you've ever ... «moviepilot.com, Mar 15»

Oh My God the Scariest Urban Legend of Them All Just Happened …

Urban legends are, frankly, terrifying and unnecessary to share with me. But this weekend, dear reader, the most terrifying urban legend of them all became ... «Gawker, Mar 15»