goat

[goht] /goʊt/
noun
1.
any of numerous agile, hollow-horned ruminants of the genus Capra, of the family Bovidae, closely related to the sheep, found native in rocky and mountainous regions of the Old World, and widely distributed in domesticated varieties.
2.
any of various related animals, as the Rocky Mountain goat.
3.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign Capricorn.
4.
a scapegoat or victim.
5.
a licentious or lecherous man; lecher.
Idioms
6.
get one's goat, Informal. to anger, annoy, or frustrate a person:
His arrogance gets my goat.
Origin
before 900; Middle English got, Old English gāt; cognate with German Geiss
Related forms
goatlike, adjective
Examples from the web for goat
  • Early models rarely arrived without goat cheese and grilled eggplant, red peppers, and zucchini.
  • We can't wait to find out more about the surf smelt and seaweed they're planning to forage, and the goat cheeses and yogurt.
  • Your next prescription may come from a chicken or a goat.
  • If you succeed in expunging the slam, however, your enemy will know he got your goat.
  • The new course was little more than a goat track, difficult and certainly hazardous, but equally unexpected.
  • They carved the meat of cow- and goat-sized animals with sharp stone tools and smashed the bones to get at the rich marrow inside.
  • Better send the goat ropers in with their peashooters and straighten everything back out for nature.
  • Prior to his efforts, liquor was banned at the function and the place was a goat show.
  • The question is what do you do if he opens a door and reveals a goat.
  • He did not leave a tooth mark on the goat, by the way.
British Dictionary definitions for goat

goat

/ɡəʊt/
noun
1.
any sure-footed agile bovid mammal of the genus Capra, naturally inhabiting rough stony ground in Europe, Asia, and N Africa, typically having a brown-grey colouring and a beard. Domesticated varieties (C. hircus) are reared for milk, meat, and wool related adjectives caprine hircine
2.
short for Rocky Mountain goat
3.
(informal) a lecherous man
4.
a bad or inferior member of any group (esp in the phrase separate the sheep from the goats)
5.
short for scapegoat
6.
act the goat, act the giddy goat, play the goat, play the giddy goat, to fool around
7.
(slang) get someone's goat, to cause annoyance to someone
Derived Forms
goatlike, adjective
Word Origin
Old English gāt; related to Old Norse geit, Old High German geiz, Latin haedus kid

Goat

/ɡəʊt/
noun
1.
the Goat, the constellation Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac
Word Origin and History for goat
n.

Old English gat "she-goat," from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (cf. Old Saxon get, Old Norse geit, Danish gjed, Middle Dutch gheet, Dutch geit, Old High German geiz, German Geiß, Gothic gaits "goat"), from PIE *ghaidos "young goat," also "play" (cf. Latin hædus "kid").

The word for "male goat" in Old English was bucca (see buck (n.)) until late 1300s shift to he-goat, she-goat (Nanny goat is 18c., billy goat 19c.). Meaning "licentious man" is attested from 1670s. To get (someone's) goat is from 1910, perhaps with notion of "to steal a goat mascot from a racehorse," or from French prendre sa chèvre "take one's source of milk."

Slang definitions & phrases for goat

goat

noun
  1. A car, esp an old one or one with an especially powerful engine (1950s+ Hot rodders & teenagers)
  2. A person who takes the blame for failure or wrongdoing; scapegoat; patsy: After the latest flop they elected me goat (1894+)
  3. he most junior officer in an Army unit (1970s+ Army)
  4. A switch engine or yard engine (1916+ Railroad)
  5. A racehorse, esp an aged or inferior beast (1940s+ Horse racing)
  6. A lecherous man
Related Terms

get someone's goat, old goat


goat in the Bible

(1.) Heb. 'ez, the she-goat (Gen. 15:9; 30:35; 31:38). This Hebrew word is also used for the he-goat (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 4:23; Num. 28:15), and to denote a kid (Gen. 38:17, 20). Hence it may be regarded as the generic name of the animal as domesticated. It literally means "strength," and points to the superior strength of the goat as compared with the sheep. (2.) Heb. 'attud, only in plural; rendered "rams" (Gen. 31:10,12); he-goats (Num. 7:17-88; Isa. 1:11); goats (Deut. 32:14; Ps. 50:13). They were used in sacrifice (Ps. 66:15). This word is used metaphorically for princes or chiefs in Isa. 14:9, and in Zech. 10:3 as leaders. (Comp. Jer. 50:8.) (3.) Heb. gedi, properly a kid. Its flesh was a delicacy among the Hebrews (Gen. 27:9, 14, 17; Judg. 6:19). (4.) Heb. sa'ir, meaning the "shaggy," a hairy goat, a he-goat (2 Chr. 29:23); "a goat" (Lev. 4:24); "satyr" (Isa. 13:21); "devils" (Lev. 17:7). It is the goat of the sin-offering (Lev. 9:3, 15; 10:16). (5.) Heb. tsaphir, a he-goat of the goats (2 Chr. 29:21). In Dan. 8:5, 8 it is used as a symbol of the Macedonian empire. (6.) Heb. tayish, a "striker" or "butter," rendered "he-goat" (Gen. 30:35; 32:14). (7.) Heb. 'azazel (q.v.), the "scapegoat" (Lev. 16:8, 10,26). (8.) There are two Hebrew words used to denote the undomesticated goat:, _Yael_, only in plural mountain goats (1 Sam. 24:2; Job 39:1; Ps.104:18). It is derived from a word meaning "to climb." It is the ibex, which abounded in the mountainous parts of Moab. And _'akko_, only in Deut. 14:5, the wild goat. Goats are mentioned in the New Testament in Matt. 25:32,33; Heb. 9:12,13, 19; 10:4. They represent oppressors and wicked men (Ezek. 34:17; 39:18; Matt. 25:33). Several varieties of the goat were familiar to the Hebrews. They had an important place in their rural economy on account of the milk they afforded and the excellency of the flesh of the kid. They formed an important part of pastoral wealth (Gen. 31:10, 12;32:14; 1 Sam. 25:2).

Idioms and Phrases with goat

goat

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