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Where does the word "matador" come from? It comes from Spanish matar, passing through Spanish before entering English (1670s).
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Where does the word "matador" come from? It comes from Spanish matar, passing through Spanish before entering English (1670s).
Matador’s story begins in Spanish: matar meant “to kill.” To kill. Within Spanish, it grew into matador by 1600s. 'killer', the star of the bullfight. It reached English by 1670s as matador. First used for the highest trump cards in the card game ombre. Today, matador means a bullfighter whose task is to kill the bull.
- Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval matar "to kill", to kill.
- Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s matador "killer", 'killer', the star of the bullfight.
- Stage 3 · English · 1670s matador "bullfighter", first used for the highest trump cards in the card game ombre.