goatherd
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of goatherd
before 1000; Middle English; Old English gāthyrde. See goat, herd 2
Explanation
A goatherd is someone who herds and cares for a group of goats. In India and other parts of South Asia, goatherds raise animals whose wool is used to make cashmere sweaters. Goatherd comes from the Old English gat-hyrde, or goat herder. Anyone who tends to a herd of goats can call themselves a goatherd, whether they're raising them for their fleecy coats or using their milk to make goat cheese. Herding goats involves moving them from one field or pasture to another because they're constantly chewing vegetation. Some goatherds corral their goats in areas where invasive plants are a problem: Goats are even used to eradicate poison ivy.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An old goatherd imparts sage advice, telling Damien that “time shifts for the grieving. Our bodies change; things don’t quite appear the same anymore.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2023
During their travels, they arrived at a dilapidated church, where, at Lucas’s command, a young goatherd was sent into a cave amid the ruins.
From The New Yorker ● May 24, 2019
Putnam, 46, did not set out to be a goatherd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2018
I dreamed that I was a goatherd and I lived in a deep dark tunnel where there was no regular order and the goats were very critical of my performance.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 8, 2015
“Well, have a nice day,” I repeated as I waved at the little goatherd.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
