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A gladiator was a man trained to fight, in front of a crowd, in ancient Rome — against other men or against wild animals — as a public show. The tidy school picture is a “soldier with a sword”.
A gladiator角鬥士 was a man trained to fight是古羅馬時代受過訓練的人, in front of a crowd在群眾面前打鬥, in ancient Rome在古羅馬 — against other men or against wild animals對手可能是別人，也可能是野獸 — as a public show當作一場公開表演。The tidy school picture學校課本給的簡單印象 is a "soldier with a sword"是「拿劍的士兵」。
Though actually many were enslaved people, prisoners, or men whose job was to fight; they were not army soldiers in the usual sense, and a few free men chose the life. They fought in big stone arenas.
Though actually不過其實 many were enslaved people, prisoners, or men whose job was to fight很多角鬥士是奴隸、囚犯，或是以打鬥為職業的人; they他們 were not army soldiers in the usual sense通常不是一般意義上的軍隊士兵, and而 a few free men chose the life只有少數自由人是自己選擇這條路的。They他們 fought in big stone arenas在巨大的石造競技場裡搏鬥。
The word comes from Latin gladiator, from gladius, “sword” — so the name is really “swordsman” more than “soldier”.
The word這個字 comes from Latin gladiator來自拉丁文gladiator, from gladius, "sword"源頭是gladius，意思是「劍」 — so所以 the name is really "swordsman" more than "soldier"這個名字其實比較接近「劍士」，而不是「士兵」。
Today people also stretch it: a tough public fighter in sport or can be called a gladiator, with a bit of drama. That is a later, looser use; the old Roman fighter is the home meaning.
Today現在 people also stretch it大家也會延伸使用: a tough public fighter in sport or politics在運動或政治圈裡強悍的公眾鬥士 can be called a gladiator也可以被稱為gladiator, with a bit of drama帶點戲劇化的意味。That那 is a later, looser use是比較晚出現、比較鬆散的用法; the old Roman fighter古羅馬的鬥士 is the home meaning才是這個字的本義。
原始詞典資料8 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
gladiatornoun/ˈɡlædiˌeɪ̯tə/
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A person (professional or slave) who entertained the public by engaging in mortal combat with another, or with a wild animal.
- My mother prepared herself for the evening with the same somber deliberateness of the gladiators in Spartacus.
- And it's because something of the mundanely manual still adheres to darts that the players' heroic walk of honour from the green room to the oche is so incongruous. The fanfare begins, the strobes go wild, the crowds roar, hostesses wearing the sort of tinsel dresses that drove me crazy when I was eighteen escort the gladiator into the arena, only he's not a gladiator, he's a plumber.
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A disputant in a public controversy or debate.
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A professional boxer.
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Synonym of heelwalker (“Any of the order Mantophasmatodea of carnivorous, wingless insects that superficially resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids.”).
gladiatorverb/ˈɡlædiˌeɪ̯tə/
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To fight as entertainment for others.
- When the dance was done there was the cock-fight, or rather a century of cock-fights, to be reckoned with. For two hundred of these luckless creatures 'gladiatored' bravely, while an appreciative audience held matting up to its chin to keep from being bespattered with blood.
- The guards made me fight other prisoners for their own amusement. It was called gladiatoring.
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To compete in a public contest.
- I played very well as was evidenced in that I was the only participant in the entire six or seven days of wind gladiatoring who received a standing ovation from the orchestra, no less.
- It's himself gladiatoring on the harmonium.
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To debate or argue.
- He did his gladiatoring doubtless without malice, and from a purely sporting instinct — even as Mr. Punch gave the provocation.
- Quoting the accounts in both Time and Newsweek, they note that though the "defense attorney may have outwitted, outsparred, and even "out gladiatored" (another popular image in the trial coverage) his opponent, but he still lost the case.
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To act aggressively toward others.
- Why, thin, Mister Levi Slam, don't you think now that a volley poured into them haythen mosquitos beyant would put a stop to their gladiatoring a little?
- It's the Count von Eisenstein," says he, "that's come over to Eire for protection against the murdering English who are marauding and gladiatoring about Germany and would kill him if they could, but thanks be to God," says my bold McQuirk, "he'll be safe enough here and it'll be a good thing to have a friend of the Irish people living in Kilfenora Castle, though maybe you won't like it."
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。