minotaur
/ˈmɪnəˌtɑɹ/ noun, proper noun
Forms minotaurs the minotaur
- noun Anything resembling the Greek monster, whether by appearance or by strength.
- proper noun (Greek mythology) A monster, half man and half bull, who dwelled in the labyrinth in Crete and who was killed by Theseus.
Etymology
From Middle English Minotaure, Mynataur, mynatour, Mynotaur, Mynotawre; see Minotaur.
From Middle English Minotaure, Mynataur, mynatour, Mynotaur, Mynotawre, from Old English Minotaurus, from Latin Mīnōtaurus, from Ancient Greek Μινώταυρος (Minṓtauros), from Μίνως (Mínōs, “king of Crete”) + ταῦρος (taûros, “bull”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fabled monster, half man and half bull, confined in the labyrinth constructed by Dædalus in Crete.
Etymology [L. Minotaurus, Gr. Mi`nos, the husband of Pasiphaë + tay^ros a bull, the Minotaur being the offspring of Pasiphaë and a bull: cf. F. minotaure.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “minotaur”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details