gladiator

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

A person (professional or slave) who entertained the public by engaging in mortal combat with another, or with a wild animal.
A disputant in a public controversy or debate.
A professional boxer.
Synonym of heelwalker (“Any of the order Mantophasmatodea of carnivorous, wingless insects that superficially resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids.”).

verb

To fight as entertainment for others.
To compete in a public contest.
To debate or argue.
To act aggressively toward others.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡlædiˌeɪ̯təː/ [ˈɡlædiˌeɪ̯tʰəː] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gladiator.wav /ˈɡlædiˌeɪtɚ/ [ˈɡlædiˌeɪtʰɚ] /ˈɡlæɾiˌeɪɾɚ/ [ˈɡlæɾiˌeɪɾɚ] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-gladiator.wav

Word forms

gladiator gladiators gladiatour gladiatoring gladiatored

Etymology

From Latin gladiātor, from gladius (“sword”). See also English gladius.

Synonyms

heelwalker

Related words

gladiatress gladiatrix gladiature gladiolus gladius

Derived words

gladiatorial gladiatorian gladiatorism gladiatorlike gladiatorship gladiatory

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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