Rodeo
/ˈroʊ.di.oʊ/noun
A public competition or exhibition featuring skills in horseback riding and cattle handling.
Did you know?Rodeo comes from Spanish rodeo, meaning a cattle roundup or circuit, from rodear, “to go around,” ultimately from Latin rota, “wheel,” so the word’s deepest root is literally about turning in circles.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ret-
“To run, roll, or turn”
Latin
Latin
rota
“Wheel”
Vulgar Latin
Late Latin
rotare
“To turn like a wheel; to revolve”
Old Spanish
Spanish
rodear
“To go around; to encircle”
Spanish
Spanish
rodeo
“A roundup or circuit of cattle”
19th Century
English
rodeo
“A cattle roundup and related ranch event”
Modern English
English
rodeo
“A public exhibition of horseback riding and cattle handling”