Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A public spectacle, performed especially in Spain, Portugal, and parts of Latin America, in which a fighting bull is engaged in a series of traditional maneuvers culminating usually with the ceremonial execution of the bull by sword. In Portugal the bull is often fought from horseback and is not killed.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A combat between men and a bull or bulls: a popular amusement among the Spaniards and Portuguese.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a sport of great antiquity, in which men torment, and fight with, a bull or bulls in an arena, for public amusement, -- still popular in Spain, Portugal and Latin American. In the Spanish version a matador kills the bull with a sword after the bull has been weakened by wounds from small barbed rods, and after he has displayed courage and artistic skill in causing the bull to charge many times while he stands still or nearly still. In some versions the bull is not killed. Occasionally the matador is wounded or killed by the bull.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A public spectacle, in Spain and some other Latin countries, in which a person baits and often kills a bull.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a Spanish or Portuguese or Latin American spectacle; a matador baits and (usually) kills a bull in an arena before many spectators

Etymologies

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  • "An abattoir in fancy dress."

    - anon.

    September 9, 2008