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picador

/ˌpɪkəˈdɔər/
/ˈpɪkədɔ/
IPA guide

Other forms: picadors

A picador is a bullfighter with a particular job: to jab the bull with a sharp spear, in order to get him angry and riled up.

You are only likely to come across the word picador in the context of bullfighting. There are usually two picadors on horseback who poke the bull with lances called picas to get him really mad before his confrontation with the matador, who is the main bullfighter. In Spanish, picador means "pricker" or "piercer," from picar, "to pierce."

Definitions of picador
  1. noun
    the horseman who pricks the bull with a lance early in the bullfight to goad the bull and to make it keep its head low
    see moresee less
    type of:
    bullfighter, toreador
    someone who fights bulls
    equestrian, horseback rider, horseman
    a person skilled in riding horses
Pronunciation
US
/ˌpɪkəˈdɔər/
UK
/ˈpɪkədɔ/
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