Where does “剣闘士” come from?

剣闘士 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 剣, from Middle Chinese けん, from Middle Chinese 元.

剣闘士 (Japanese): a gladiator

Definitions

  1. a gladiator

Ancestry of “剣闘士”, step by step

剣闘士 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesea sword, "especially" one with a double-edged...
2Middle Chineseけん
3Middle Chinese

via Japanese 闘士

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese闘士fighter; militant; soldier
Every word from Middle Chinese Every word from Middle Chinese けんEvery word from Japanese
剣闘士 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer