Where does “scapegoat” come from?
Scapegoat derives from English goat via Latin scapus and Ancient Greek σκᾶπος, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ǵʰew-.
scapegoat (English): In the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat...
Definitions
- In the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat...
Ancestry of “scapegoat”, step by step
scapegoat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English scape
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scape | A leafless stalk growing directly out of a root;... |
| 2 | Middle English | scapen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | escapen | — |
| 4 | Old French | escaper | Alternative form of eschaper |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | excappare | present active infinitive of *excappō;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English goat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | goat | A mammal, "Capra aegagrus hircus", and similar... |
| 2 | English | Time | The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events |
| 3 | Middle English | tyme | thyme; time; A specific duration or period of... |
| 4 | Old French | thym | — |
| 5 | Latin | thymum | thyme; accusative singular of thymus |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | θύμον | thyme |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | θύω | I offer in sacrifice, slay, burn, immolate; I... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |