I was writing a story about gladiators and wanted a word to describe what gladiators do (besides fighting), as in the phrase "X isn't just…". Arena fighting sounds too long and gladiation, which was the other option I came up with, doesn't sound like a word, even for a neologism. Preferably it should capture the fact that it took place in Ancient Rome.
Learn English – a word for what gladiators do
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Related Solutions
I think there is no universal name for these phrases but there is a name that I have found (which might be too general also):
- rhyming catch-phrase
Also we can call the latter part of the phrase a rhyme-tag:
a word or phrase used primarily to produce a rhyme. Rhyme-tags are used to comic effect in much light verse, as in W.S. Gilbert’s “The Modern Major-Gineral,” which reads in part
Furthermore, The Book "Slang: The People's Poetry By Michael Adams" mentions these phrases in a variety of ways, as in rhyming {something}. Also talks about the differences between rhyming slang and these phrases.
Additionally, the author thinks that they are a kind of verse and calls them rhyming couplets.
Well, it's kind of a mouthful to say, but the clinical term is expectorate (definition from Merriam-Webster).
Best Answer
Gladiators gladiate. Yes, it is a word and it is mentioned as a back-formation from gladiator in Wiktionary. It is a noun-to-verb derivation, originally from the Latin noun gladiator ("swordsman"), from gladius ("sword"). (However, it is also used in botany and means "sword-shaped").
Gladiation is also in Wiktionary and defined as a combat between gladiators. These derivations don't appear in most authoritative dictionaries but they are used as a neologism.
If you want a common word, you can consider swordfight. (It is also related to the origin of gladiator: gladius "sword").
You didn't prefer long phrases but another option is gladiatorial fight which is the most precise term.