retiarius
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of retiarius
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin rēte “net” + -i-, connecting vowel + -ārius, noun suffix; see origin at rete ( def. ), -i- -ary ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One speaks of a gladiator in the singular, but we learn from Mr. Sidebottom that there were at least nine different types of gladiator: the murmillo, the thraex, the retiarius, the eques and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
In his hands were the weapons of a retiarius - a trident and a weighted net.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The odds on the retiarius are customarily between five to three and two to one.
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by White, Edward Lucas
But a clumsy, heavy secutor never could reach a nimble, agile retiarius.
From The Unwilling Vestal by White, Edward Lucas
If the retiarius ran away, Palus followed, but never in haste, always at a slow, even walk.
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by White, Edward Lucas
With the exception of the retiarii all wore helmets, and their right arms were covered with armour, the left being protected by the shield.
From Beric the Briton : a Story of the Roman Invasion by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Sometimes they faced the wild animals; and at times they even took the trident and the net of the retiarii and tried their skill against the swordsmen.
From Roman Women by Brittain, Alfred
There will be rare tactics with the retiarii armed with nets.
From Saronia A Romance of Ancient Ephesus by Short, Richard
They came in divisions of twenty-five, Thracians, Mirmillons, Samnites, Gauls, each nation separately, all heavily armed; and last the retiarii, holding in one hand a net, in the other a trident.
From Quo Vadis: a narrative of the time of Nero by Curtin, Jeremiah
If I can ever come away I shall, but I'd not miss this gladiator show, this retiarii swing.
From Greener Than You Think by Moore, Ward
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
