rodeo
[ roh-dee-oh, roh-dey-oh ]
/ ˈroʊ diˌoʊ, roʊˈdeɪ oʊ /
noun, plural ro·de·os.
a public exhibition of cowboy skills, as bronco riding and calf roping.
a roundup of cattle.
Informal. any contest offering prizes in various events: a bicycle rodeo for kids under twelve.
(initial capital letter, italics) a ballet (1942) choreographed by Agnes de Mille, with musical score by Aaron Copland.
verb (used without object), ro·de·oed, ro·de·o·ing.
to participate or compete in a rodeo or rodeos: He's been rodeoing since he was twelve.
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Nearby words
rodent, rodent operative, rodent ulcer, rodentia, rodenticide, rodeo, roderic, roderick, rodez, rodger, rodgers
Origin of rodeo
1825–35; < Spanish: cattle ring, derivative of rodear to go round, itself derivative of rueda wheel < Latin rota
Related formsro·de·o·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rodeo
British Dictionary definitions for rodeo
rodeo
/ (ˈrəʊdɪˌəʊ) /
noun plural -os mainly US and Canadian
a display of the skills of cowboys, including bareback riding, steer wrangling, etc
the rounding up of cattle for branding, counting, inspection, etc
an enclosure for cattle that have been rounded up
Word Origin for rodeo
C19: from Spanish, from rodear to go around, from rueda a wheel, from Latin rota
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rodeo
rodeo
1914 as public entertainment show of horse-riding skill, from earlier meaning "cattle round-up" (1834), from Spanish rodeo, "pen for cattle at a fair or market," literally "a going round," from rodear "go round, surround," related to rodare "revolve, roll," from Latin rotare "go around" (see rotary).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper