goat

¹

[ goht ]

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. Goat, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign Capricorn.
4. Also the goat. a scapegoat or victim:

   When the police came, he was left behind to be the goat.

5. a licentious or lecherous man; lecher.

GOAT

²

or G.O.A.T.

[ goht, jee-oh-ey-tee ]

noun

, Informal.

1. greatest of all time: (used to describe or refer to a person or thing that is considered to be the best ever in a particular field, category, etc., especially in sports):

   If he hadn’t been injured, he would have been the GOAT, but he’s still a top 5 player.

   That film is indisputably GOAT—I watch it at least once a year.

Goat

¹

/ ɡəʊt /

noun

1. the Goat
   the constellation Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac

goat

²

/ 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 caprinehircine
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 or act the giddy goat or play the goat or play the giddy goat
   to fool around
7. get someone's goat slang.
   to cause annoyance to someone

Derived Forms

• ˈgoatˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• goat·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of goat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English got, Old English gāt; cognate with Gothic gaits, Old Norse geit, German Geiss; akin to Latin haedus “young goat, kid”

Origin of goat²

First recorded in 1965–70; originally the name of a company founded by Muhammad Ali, who applied the term greatest of all time to himself

Word History and Origins

Origin of goat¹

Old English gāt; related to Old Norse geit, Old High German geiz, Latin haedus kid

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get someone's goat, Informal. to anger, annoy, or frustrate a person:

   His arrogance gets my goat.

More idioms and phrases containing goat

see get someone's goat ; separate the sheep from the goats .

Example Sentences

For them, the desert is home, where they cultivate date palms and raise herds of goats, sheep and camels.

From Salon

“We should be careful not to scape goat minorities because of shifts in their voting patterns when a clear majority of people of color voted Democrat.”

From Los Angeles Times

Think your pals and loved ones will be into hiking with pygmy goats?

From Los Angeles Times

Berhane had veered off the usual mountain footpath because he had spotted his family’s sheep and goats grazing - and had gone over to stop them entering someone else’s plot of land.

From BBC

A line of Llandudno goats merchandise, including t-shirts and tote bags, quickly followed and has since raised thousands for the town's hospice.

From BBC