muleta

[ moo-ley-tuh, -let-uh ]

/ muˈleɪ tə, -ˈlɛt ə /

noun

a red cloth similar to but smaller than a capa and manipulated by a stick set into one of the three holes in or near the center, for use by a matador in guiding the course of the bull's attack in the stage of the fight preparatory to the kill.

Words nearby muleta

mule-ears, mule-fat, muleheaded, mules, mules operation, muleta, muleteer, muley, muley saw, mulga, mulhacén

Origin of muleta

1830–40; < Spanish: prop, support, muleta, diminutive of mula (feminine) mule¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for muleta

Garabato had the sword and muleta ready on the edge of the wall.
The Blood of the Arena|Vicente Blasco Ibez
He arranges the muleta over a little stick, so that it hangs down like a flag and conceals his sword.
The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia|William Somerset Maugham
Each pass of his muleta was accompanied by acclamations of enthusiasm and shouts of fear.
The Blood of the Arena|Vicente Blasco Ibez
With scientific precision, the swordsman flutters his muleta in the bull's face.
The Story of Seville|Walter M. Gallichan

He extended his muleta and the beast attacked with sonorous bellowing, passing beneath the red rag.
The Blood of the Arena|Vicente Blasco Ibez

British Dictionary definitions for muleta

muleta

/ (mjuːˈlɛtə) /

noun

the small cape attached to a stick used by the matador during the final stages of a bullfight

Word Origin for muleta

Spanish: small mule, crutch, from mula mule 1

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