Gladiate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in combat like ancient gladiators in an arena ; to mark or ornament a surface with parallel narrow lines or grooves
2. To fight or contend aggressively in a manner reminiscent of gladiators ; to create closely spaced linear striations on a material's surface
3. To participate in a fierce struggle or battle as gladiators did ; to produce fine, channel-like grooves typically for decorative or functional purposes

Etymology: "Gladiate" is a verb built from the Latin word "gladius," meaning "sword," which also gave English "gladiator," the armed combatant of the Roman arena. The verb's more literal sense is the older one: to fight in the manner of a gladiator, with the swagger and aggression that the word implies. The second meaning, to make closely spaced linear striations on a surface, is a technical extension rather than a figurative leap. It takes the idea of parallel cuts or ridges, like the marks left by blades, and applies it to materials. The word itself is thus a back-formation: English speakers took "gladiator," treated its ending as if it were a verb-forming suffix, and produced "gladiate" from it, reversing the usual direction in which words are built.