What does centaur mean?
A centaur is a legendary being of Greek mythology, imagined as having the head, arms, and torso of a human joined to the body and legs of a horse. Centaurs appear throughout ancient art and literature, most famously in tales of their wild, unruly behavior at the wedding of Pirithous, where they battled the Lapiths. Yet the tradition also includes exceptions to this savagery, notably the wise healer Chiron, who mentored heroes like Achilles and Asclepius. The image endures today as a symbol of the tension between human reason and animal instinct, and it appears widely in fantasy fiction, games, and film. In modern astronomy, 'centaur' has taken on an entirely new sense: it names a class of small, icy bodies orbiting the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune, so called because they share characteristics of both asteroids and comets, just as the mythical creatures blended two natures. The word thus bridges classical legend and contemporary science.
In Greek mythology, a monster represented as a man from the head to the waist and a horse from the waist down.
"The vase painter depicted Heracles wrestling with a centaur."
Usually lowercase except in proper names.
In astronomy, any of a group of small celestial bodies that orbit the Sun mainly between Jupiter and Neptune and have characteristics of both asteroids and comets.
"Chiron was the first object classified as a centaur, discovered in 1977."
Regular plural; the astronomical sense also uses 'centaurs'.
"The fresco shows a battle between humans and centaurs."
The word 'centaur' may literally mean 'one who bulls around' — from Greek 'kentron' (goad) and 'tauros' (bull) — though even the ancients argued about its origin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of centaur
The English word 'centaur' derives from Latin 'centaurus', itself borrowed from the Greek 'kentauros', the name of the mythical horse-men of Thessaly. The ultimate origin of the Greek term is disputed; one ancient explanation connects it to 'kentein' (to prick or goad) and 'tauros' (bull), while others link it simply to bull-riding peoples. It entered English in the late Middle Ages through Latin texts, and related forms include 'Centaurus', the name of a southern constellation, and 'centauress', an occasional feminine form.
Related word forms
How centaur is actually used
Always lowercase for the mythological creature; capitalized only in proper names such as Chiron's constellation Centaurus or brand names. The plural is straightforwardly 'centaurs'. In astronomy, 'centaur' refers to a specific class of icy bodies and is used as a technical term rather than a metaphor.
Easily confused with centaur
A satyr is a woodland spirit depicted as part man and part goat, whereas a centaur is part man and part horse.