Tauromachy
/ˌtɔːroʊˈmæk.i/noun
The practice or spectacle of bullfighting.
Did you know?The word comes straight from Greek *tauros* (“bull”) + *machē* (“battle, fight”), and that battle-root also lives in words like *machination* and *logomachy*—language still carries the echo of combat.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ταυρομαχία
“Bull-fighting or bull-combat; a fight with bulls”
Late Latin
Latin
tauromachia
“A bull-fight or bull-combat”
Middle French
French
tauromachie
“Bullfighting”
18th–19th Century
English
tauromachy
“Bullfighting; a spectacle involving combat with bulls”
Modern English
English
tauromachy
“The practice or spectacle of bullfighting”
Explore more surprising origins