n. A supreme chief or leader in ancient Britain. [Middle Welsh penndragon, pendragon (probably literally "chief of chieftains") : penn, head, chief (akin to Irish ceann; both Middle Welsh and Irish from Proto-Celtic *kwennom, of unknown origin) + dragon, plural of dreic, dragon, military leader, chieftain (from Latin dracō, dracōn-, large serpent, dragon, Roman cavalry standard consisting of a windsock in the form of a dragon; see DRAGON).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.