1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Matador

MATADOR, a Spanish word meaning literally “killer,” from matar, Lat. mactare, especially applied to the principal performer in a bull-fight, whose function it is to slay the bull (see Bull-fighting). The word is also used of certain important cards in such games as quadrille, ombre, &c., and more particularly of a special form of the game of dominoes.