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A.Word.A.Day--minotaur

Minotaur (MIN-uh-tawr) noun

Someone or something monstrous, especially one that devours.

[From Latin Minotaurus, from Greek Minotauros, from Minos (a king of Crete) + tauros (bull).]

In Greek mythology, Minotaur was a monster with a bull's head and a man's body. He was confined in a labyrinth designed by Daedalus, and devoured seven youths and seven maidens every year until Theseus killed him.

Pictures of Minotaur.

"Couples swooped by on Vespas, sportifs swanked past in fluorescent colours, and now and then came the real Minotaurs of the road: heavy-duty bikers slung back on easy-riders, handlebars round their ears."
David Clement-Davies; Biking the Minoan Trail The Independent (London, UK): Feb 25, 1996.

See more usage examples of minotaur in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

This week's theme: words derived from the names of mythical creatures.

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