novillero

English

Etymology

From Spanish novillero.

Noun

novillero (plural novilleros)

1. (bullfighting) A young trainee bullfighter (who fights against novillos).

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *nu

Proto-Indo-European *néwos

Proto-Italic *nowos

Latin novus

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -lus

Latin -ellus

Latin novellus

Spanish novillo

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -ārius

Spanish -ero

Spanish novillero

From novillo + -ero.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /nobiˈʝeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈʝe.ɾo]

• IPA^(key): /nobiˈʝeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈʝe.ɾo] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• IPA^(key): /nobiˈʎeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈʎe.ɾo] (rustic northern Spain, northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /nobiˈʃeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈʃe.ɾo] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /nobiˈʒeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈʒe.ɾo] (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /nobiˈeɾo/ [no.β̞iˈe.ɾo] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Rhymes: -eɾo
• Syllabification: no‧vi‧lle‧ro

Noun

novillero m (plural novilleros, feminine novillera, feminine plural novilleras)

1. (bullfighting) young trainee bullfighter (who fights against novillos)
2. truant (one who is absent without permission, especially from school)

Derived terms

• novilleril

Further reading

• “novillero”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025