scapegoat
1scape·goat
noun \ˈskāp-ˌgōt\: a person who is unfairly blamed for something that others have done
Full Definition of SCAPEGOAT
1
: a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur
2
a : one that bears the blame for others b : one that is the object of irrational hostility
Examples of SCAPEGOAT
- The CEO was made the scapegoat for the company's failures.
- <companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales>
Origin of SCAPEGOAT
1scape; intended as translation of Hebrew ʽazāzēl (probably name of a demon), as if ʽēz 'ōzēl goat that departs—Lev 16:8(Authorized Version)
First Known Use: 1530
Related to SCAPEGOAT
- Synonyms
- fall guy, goat, whipping boy
Rhymes with SCAPEGOAT
afloat, airboat, banknote, bareboat, bluecoat, blue note, box coat, bumboat, capote, car coat, catboat, C-note, compote, connote, coyote, cutthroat, deep throat, demote, denote, devote, dovecote, dreamboat, eighth note, emote, endnote, fireboat, fistnote, flatboat, foldboat, footnote, frock coat, gemot, grace note, greatcoat, gunboat, half note, headnote, Hohhot, houseboat, housecoat, iceboat, johnboat, keelboat, keynote, lab coat, lifeboat, longboat, mash note, one-note, peacoat, pigboat, promote, Q-boat, raincoat, Rajkot, redcoat, remote, rowboat, sack coat, sailboat, sauceboat, seed coat, shape note, sheepcote, showboat, sore throat, speedboat, steamboat, stoneboat, straw vote, strep throat, Sukkoth, surcoat, surfboat, swan boat, tailcoat, topcoat, towboat, trench coat, tugboat, turncoat, U-boat, unquote, wainscot, whaleboat, whitethroat, whole note, woodnote, workboat
2scapegoat
transitive verbDefinition of SCAPEGOAT
: to make a scapegoat of
— scape·goat·ism \-ˌgō-ˌti-zəm\ noun
First Known Use of SCAPEGOAT
1943
scapegoat
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)In the Old Testament, a goat that was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and then killed on Yom Kippur to rid Jerusalem of its iniquities. Similar rituals were held elsewhere in the ancient world to transfer guilt or blame. In ancient Greece, human scapegoats were beaten and driven out of cities to mitigate calamities. In early Roman law, an innocent person was allowed to assume the penalty of another; Christianity reflects this notion in its belief that Jesus died to atone for the sins of mankind.
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