Minotaur definition

mĭnə-tôr, mīnə-
A monster who was half man and half bull, to whom young Athenian men and women were sacrificed in the Cretan labyrinth until Theseus killed him.
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(gr. myth., person, proper) A monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull (in some versions, with the body of a bull and the head of a man), confined by Minos in a labyrinth built by Daedalus, and annually fed seven youths and seven maidens from Athens, until killed by Theseus.
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(Greek mythology) A monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.
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Anything resembling the Greek monster, whether by appearance or by strength.
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(Greek mythology, with "the") A monster, half man and half bull, who dwelled in the labyrinth in Crete and who was killed by Theseus.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
minotaur
Plural:
minotaurs

Origin of minotaur

  • From Ancient Greek Μινώταυρος (minōtauros), from Μίνως (Minōs, “king of Crete") + ταῦρος (taûros, “bull").

    From Wiktionary

  • See minotaur

    From Wiktionary

Minotaur Sentence Examples

  • The contest between Theseus and the Minotaur was frequently represented in Greek art.

  • In Attic tradition and on the Athenian stage Minos is a cruel tyrant, the heartless exactor of the tribute of Athenian youths to feed the Minotaur.

  • Some modern mythologists regard the Minotaur as a solar personification and a Greek adaptation of the Baal-Moloch of the Phoenicians.

  • To avenge the death of his son, Minos demanded that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens should be sent every ninth year to be devoured by the Minotaur.

  • The slaying of the Minotaur by Theseus in that case indicates the abolition of such sacrifice by the advance of Greek civilization.

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Words near minotaur in the Dictionary