"With a Turned Thumb", painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme

Gladiators (Latin: gladiatōrēs, "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword," from gladius, "sword") were professional fighters in ancient Rome, who fought against each other, wild animals and sentenced criminals, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of the public. These fights took place in arenas in many cities from the Roman Republic period through the Roman Empire.

The word comes from gladius, the Latin word for a short sword used by legionaries and some gladiators.