Definition: goat
goat
n 1: any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having
a beard and straight horns [syn: caprine animal]
2: a victim of ridicule or pranks [syn: butt, laughingstock,
stooge]
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Goat \Goat\, n. [OE goot, got, gat, AS. g[=a]t; akin to D. geit, OHG. geiz, G. geiss, Icel. geit, Sw. get, Dan. ged, Goth. gaits, L. haedus a young goat, kid.] (Zo["o]l.) A hollow-horned ruminant of the genus Capra, of several species and varieties, esp. the domestic goat (C. hircus), which is raised for its milk, flesh, and skin. Note: The Cashmere and Angora varieties of the goat have long, silky hair, used in the manufacture of textile fabrics. The wild or bezoar goat (Capra [ae]gagrus), of Asia Minor, noted for the bezoar stones found in its stomach, is supposed to be one of the ancestral species ofthe domestic goat. The Rocky Montain goat (Haplocercus montanus) is more nearly related to the antelopes. See Mazame. Goat antelope (Zo["o]l), one of several species of antelopes, which in some respects resemble a goat, having recurved horns, a stout body, large hoofs, and a short, flat tail, as the goral, thar, mazame, and chikara. Goat fig (Bot.), the wild fig. Goat house. (a) A place for keeping goats. (b) A brothel. [Obs.] Goat moth (Zo["o]l.), any moth of the genus Cossus, esp. the large European species (C. ligniperda), the larva of which burrows in oak and willow trees, and requires three years to mature. It exhales an odor like that of the he-goat. Goat weed (Bot.), a scrophulariaceous plant, of the genus Capraria (C. biflora). Goat's bane (Bot.), a poisonous plant (Aconitum Lucoctonum), bearing pale yellow flowers, introduced from Switzerland into England; wolfsbane. Goat's beard (Bot.), a plant of the genus Tragopogon; -- so named from the long silky beard of the seeds. One species is the salsify or oyster plant. Goat's foot (Bot.), a kind of wood sorrel (Oxalis caprina) growing at the Cape of Good Hope. Goat's rue (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Galega officinalis of Europe, or Tephrosia Virginiana in the United States). Goat's thorn (Bot.), a thorny leguminous plant (Astragalus Tragacanthus), found in the Levant. Goat's wheat (Bot.), the genus Tragopyrum (now referred to Atraphaxis).
Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
GoAT // [Usenet] Abbreviation: "Go Away, Troll". See troll.
Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Goat
(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).
