novillero

American  

[noh-vee-air-oh, -vuhl-yair-oh, naw-vee-ye-raw, -lye-] / ˌnoʊ viˈɛər oʊ, -vəlˈyɛər oʊ, ˌnɔ viˈyɛ rɔ, -ˈlyɛ- /

noun

plural

novilleros

1. a young bullfighter who has not yet been named a matador.

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Etymology

Origin of novillero

1920–25; < Spanish, equivalent to novill ( o ) a fighting bull less than three years old (< Latin novellus; see novel ²) + -ero (< Latin -ārius -ary ); such bulls are typically fought by novice bullfighters

Example Sentences

Un novillero sufre un accidente durante una tarde de corrida en una plaza pueblerina, y su examante cuenta su historia.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2020

Un novillero sufre un accidente durante una tarde de corrida en una plaza pueblerina y su ex amante cuenta su historia.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2019

Said the dean of Mexico City's bullfight critics, "Here is the novillero of the season�of all seasons."

From Time Magazine Archive

More successful was another novillero, a handsome 19-year-old boy billed as Liceaga.

From Time Magazine Archive

Handsome in his olive vestido de corte, his sideburns shadowed by his flat-crowned sombrero, Jos� Maria proved himself a good novillero.

From Time Magazine Archive