ETYM Latin centaurus, Greek Kentayros.
(Classical mythology) A mythical being that is half man and half horse.
In Greek mythology, a creature half-human and half-horse. Centaurs were supposed to live in Thessaly, and be wild and lawless; the mentor of Heracles, Chiron, was an exception.
The earliest representations of centaurs (about 1800–1000 BC) were excavated near Famagusta, Cyprus, 1962, and are two-headed. Some female representations also exist.