goat
[goht]
- 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.
- any of various related animals, as the Rocky Mountain goat.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign Capricorn.
- a scapegoat or victim.
- a licentious or lecherous man; lecher.
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- get one's goat, Informal. to anger, annoy, or frustrate a person: His arrogance gets my goat.
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Origin of goat
before 900; Middle English got, Old English gāt; cognate with German Geiss
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for goat
Contemporary Examples
Nervous fans can keep a vigilant eye on it via a webcam hosted on the town website that offers 24-hour goat viewing.
“I´m now writing to you from goat heaven,” he lamented on the blog he maintains.
Since 2009, the goat has had a thriving Twitter presence as well, today enjoying up to nearly 8,000 followers.
Lewis and the men he was with were given a goat and chicken that they were expected to kill and eat while on patrol.
Bake the goat cheese packages for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Historical Examples
About half-way to the summit, she climbed a rock as if she were a goat, and looked all round her.
Heather and SnowGeorge MacDonald
"He's had your goat ever since the meeting opened," grinned the Sharpshooter.
Old Man CurryCharles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan
I saw him outside the "Goat and Bells" when I went to the post last night.
The Silver Box (First Series Plays)John Galsworthy
He 's too fond of the "Goat and Bells," that's what's the matter with him.
The Silver Box (First Series Plays)John Galsworthy
But it never seems to enter into the goat's head to do anything so aggressive.
Things as They AreAmy Wilson-Carmichael
goat
- 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 woolRelated adjectives: caprine, hircine
- short for Rocky Mountain goat
- informal a lecherous man
- a bad or inferior member of any group (esp in the phrase separate the sheep from the goats)
- short for scapegoat
- act the goat, act the giddy goat, play the goat or play the giddy goat to fool around
- get someone's goat slang to cause annoyance to someone
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Word Origin
Old English gāt; related to Old Norse geit, Old High German geiz, Latin haedus kid
Goat
- the Goat the constellation Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with goat
goat
see get someone's goat; separate the sheep from the goats.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.