Picadors

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of horseman in Spanish bullfighting who prods the bull with a lance to weaken it before the matador's performance
2. Riders in the traditional Spanish bullfighting who participate by poking the bull to lower its stamina for the final act
3. Individuals on horseback during a bullfight who use a lance on the bull, playing a crucial role in the spectacle's early phase

Etymology: "Picadors" is the plural of "picador," a noun borrowed from Spanish, where it means "stinger." The Spanish word is built from "picar," to prick or sting, with the suffix "-ador," which marks a person who performs the action. So a picador is literally one who pricks, and the name fits the job: these mounted fighters jab a lance into the bull's neck and shoulders to weaken its muscles and make it lower its head before the final stage of the bullfight. The English form simply carried over the Spanish word intact, so the term keeps its original sense of the person doing the pricking rather than acquiring a separate English meaning. The plural follows the regular English pattern of adding "s" to the singular.