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gladiators

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glad⋅i⋅a⋅tor

  [glad-ee-ey-ter]
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–noun
1. (in ancient Rome) a person, often a slave or captive, who was armed with a sword or other weapon and compelled to fight to the death in a public arena against another person or a wild animal, for the entertainment of the spectators.
2. a person who engages in a fight or controversy.
3. a prizefighter.
Origin:
1535–45; < L gladiātor, equiv. to gladi(us) sword + -ātor -ator
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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glad·i·a·tor   (glād'ē-ā'tər)   
n.  

  1. A person, usually a professional combatant, a captive, or a slave, trained to entertain the public by engaging in mortal combat with another person or a wild animal in the ancient Roman arena.

  2. A person engaged in a controversy or debate, especially in public; a disputant.

  3. Sports A professional boxer.


[Middle English, from Latin gladiātor, from gladius, sword, of Celtic origin.]
glad'i·a·to'ri·al (-ə-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gladiator 
1541, from L. gladiator, lit. "swordsman," from gladius "sword," supposedly from Gaul. *kladyos (cf. O.Ir. claideb, Welsh cleddyf, Breton kleze "sword"), from PIE base *qelad- "to strike, beat."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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