urban legend: Meaning and Definition of

ur'ban leg'end

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a modern story of obscure origin and with little or no supporting evidence that spreads spontaneously in varying forms and often has elements of humor, moralizing, or horror: It's an urban legend that if your college roommate commits suicide, you get automatic A's in your classes. I hear that there are alligators living in the New York City sewer system, or is that just an urban legend?
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.