centaur

IPA/ˈsentɔː(r)/
KK[sˈɛntˌɔr]IPA/ˈsentɔːr/

centaur — noun

  • centaursingular
  • centaursplural

1. In Greek mythology, a creature whose top half looks like a human being and whose

1.nounB2
Definition

In Greek mythology, a creature whose top half looks like a human being and whose bottom half looks like a horse.

Example

In the story, the centaur Chiron taught young heroes how to use a bow.

proper name: centaur Chiron (mythological figure)

A large statue of a centaur stands at the entrance of the old museum.

noun phrase: statue of a centaur

Common collocations
  • a centaur gallops / galloping
  • a centaur warrior
  • the centaur Chiron
  • a statue of a centaur
  • a book about centaurs
Synonyms
  • hippocentaur

    a very rare, formal alternative with the same meaning, mostly found in academic texts

Grammar Patterns

centaur + verb

a/the centaur + of

Usage Note

The name of a specific centaur from mythology (e.g. Chiron, Nessus) is always capitalized. The word appears most often in fantasy literature, mythology discussions, and role-playing games.

Common Mistakes

The satyr galloped across the field' (when meaning a half-man, half-horse creature).
The centaur galloped across the field.
Satyrs have the legs of a goat, not a horse, so they cannot gallop.

Word family

  • centauric
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe hybrid human-animal creatures from Greek or Roman mythology, but they differ in the animal half and in personality. A centaur has the upper body of a person and the lower body of a horse; centaurs are often shown as wild or wise (e.g. Chiron). A satyr has the upper body of a man and the legs, tail, and horns of a goat; satyrs are followers of the god Dionysus and love music and wine. A minotaur has the head of a bull on the body of a man; it is a single monster, not a race. A faun is similar to a satyr — half man, half goat — but in Roman stories fauns are gentler and live in the forest. For example: 'The centaur galloped across the plain,' but 'The satyr played a flute under the grapevines.'

centaur ↗satyrminotaur ↗faun

Common collocations

Nouns

  • centaur statue
  • centaur myth
  • centaur body
  • centaur warrior

Phrases

  • half man, half horse
  • a creature from Greek mythology

Prepositions

  • of a centaur
  • about centaurs
  • like a centaur

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word centaur comes from Latin centaurus, which was borrowed from Greek kentauros (Κένταυρος). The origin of the Greek word is uncertain: it may combine kenteō ('to prick' or 'to goad') and tauros ('bull'), referring to horse-tamers or cattle-herders. Another theory is that it comes from a pre-Greek language of the region. In Greek mythology, centaurs were a wild, unruly race who lived in the mountains of Thessaly, except for Chiron, who was wise and skilled in medicine.