among the ancient Romans, a sort of gladiator, hired to fight in the amphitheatre against beasts; thence also denominated bestiarus.

The confessors were thus called a conficiendi bestiae, from their dispatching and killing beasts.

The Greeks called them μαχηται, q. d. daring, rash, desperates; whence the Latins borrowed the appellations parabola and parabolarii. The Christians were sometimes condemned to this sort of combat.