Minotaur

noun

Mi·​no·​taur ˈmi-nə-ˌtȯr  ˈmī- 

 also  -ˌtär

: a monster shaped half like a man and half like a bull, confined in the labyrinth built by Daedalus for Minos, and given a periodic tribute of youths and maidens as food until slain by Theseus

Examples of Minotaur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Readers are shown the likely son of a gardener planting the seeds of literature in Mesopotamia, the jungle shaman carefully hovering over the bones of the dead in the Amazon and the first rumbles of the Minotaur in the Mediterranean. —Joe Sills, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur — with the head of a bull and body of a man — was imprisoned at the center of a labyrinth in Crete and ate anyone who couldn’t find their way out. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024

Ariadne is the sister of the Minotaur, a half-human, half-bull creature that Theseus is ordered to slay. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024

The Minotaur, a ferocious creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, was trapped in a maze built by the Greek architect Daedalus. —Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin Minotaurus, from Greek Minōtauros, from Minōs + tauros bull

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above