definitions

banderilla

[ ban-duh-ree-uh, -reel-yuh; Spanish bahn-de-ree-lyah, -yah ]
/ ˌbæn dəˈri ə, -ˈril yə; Spanish ˌbɑn dɛˈri lyɑ, -yɑ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR banderilla ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ban·de·ril·las [ban-duh-ree-uh z, -reel-yuh z; Spanish bahn-de-ree-lyahs, -yahs] /ˌbæn dəˈri əz, -ˈril yəz; Spanish ˌbɑn dɛˈri lyɑs, -yɑs/.

an ornamented dart with barbs used by banderilleros for sticking into the neck or shoulder of the bull.

RELATED WORDS

pistol, bomb, sword, gun, missile, cannon, rifle, machete, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver, catapult, dagger, spear, bayonet, ax, bludgeon, spike

Nearby words

banded purple, banded rattlesnake, bandelet, bandelier, bandello, banderilla, banderillero, banderole, bandersnatch, bandfile, bandgap

Origin of banderilla

1790–1800; < Spanish, equivalent to bander(a) banner + -illa diminutive suffix < Latin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for banderilla

  • And the smile was as a banderilla to her niece's goaded spirit.

    New Faces|Myra Kelly

  • These touch-and-go experiments form no part of the strict duties of the chulo; his exclusive province is the banderilla.

    Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 71, No. 436, February 1852|Various

  • The jaunty insouciance of the young range-rider irritated him as a banderilla goads a bull in the ring.

    Steve Yeager|William MacLeod Raine

  • Nacional, with the banderilla in his hand, attracted the bull to the centre of the plaza.

    The Blood of the Arena|Vicente Blasco Ibez

British Dictionary definitions for banderilla

banderilla

/ (ˌbændəˈriːə, -ˈriːljə) /

noun

bullfighting a decorated barbed dart, thrust into the bull's neck or shoulder

Word Origin for banderilla

Spanish, literally: a little banner, from bandera banner
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012