scapegoat

1 of 2

noun

scape·​goat ˈskāp-ˌgōt 

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

scapegoat

2 of 2

verb

scapegoated; scapegoating; scapegoats

transitive verb

: to make a scapegoat of

scapegoatism

ˈskāp-ˌgō-ˌti-zəm 

noun

Did you know?

On Yom Kippur, the ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat for the Lord and lead another one into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people. The ceremony is described in Leviticus, where it is said that one lot shall be cast for the Lord and one for "Azazel." Modern scholars usually interpret Azazel as being the name of a demon living in the desert, but ancient biblical translators thought Azazel referred to the goat itself, apparently confusing it with the Hebrew phrase ez ozel, meaning "goat that departs." The mistranslation was carried through Greek and Latin into a 16th-century English translation, where the word for the goat was rendered as scapegoote; that is, "goat that escapes." The extended senses of scapegoat we use today evolved from this biblical use.

Did you know?

The History of Scapegoat

Scapegoat has a fascinating history. Today the word is used to refer to one who is wrongly blamed for something, but it originated with an actual goat.

In the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, God ordained a particular day during which the entire nation of Israel would set aside work, and during which the priests would atone for the sin of the whole nation. Among the rituals prescribed was the scapegoat:

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. —Leviticus 16:8-10, KJV

The scapegoat carried the sin of the people away with it, thereby cleansing Israel for another year.

The English scapegoat is a compound of the archaic verb scape, which means "escape," and goat, and is modeled on a misreading of the Hebrew ʽazāzēl (which is probably the name of a demon) as ʽēz 'ōzēl , "the goat that departs." More modern translations render scapegoat in this text as Azazel, but the misreading endured and has entered the lexicon.

Synonyms

Noun

• fall guy
• goat
• whipping boy

Examples of scapegoat in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Trump continues to assert falsely that the 2020 election was stolen and the proof of citizenship idea sets up migrants as a possible scapegoat for a second loss. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024

Initially, Cook refused to answer police questions about Ellard's involvement in the killing, while Ellard claimed Cook was the likely culprit and said she was being used as a scapegoat. —Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

scape entry 1; intended as translation of Hebrew ʽazāzēl (probably name of a demon), as if ʽēz 'ōzēl goat that departs—Leviticus 16:8 (King James Version)

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1943, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

scapegoat

noun

scape·​goat

ˈskāp-ˌgōt

: a person or thing taking the blame for others