scapegoat

== English == === Etymology === From scape +‎ goat; coined by English biblical scholar and translator William Tyndale, interpreting Biblical Hebrew עֲזָאזֵל (“azazél”) (Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26), from an interpretation as coming from עֵז (ez, “goat”) and אוזל (ozél, “escapes”). First attested 1530. Compare English scapegrace, scapegallows. === Pronunciation === (Canada, US) IPA(key): /ˈskeɪpˌɡoʊt/ (UK) IPA(key): /ˈskeɪpˌɡəʊt/ === Noun === scapegoat (plural scapegoats) In the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat symbolically imbued with the sins of the people, and sent out alive into the wilderness while another was sacrificed. Someone unfairly blamed or punished for some failure. Synonyms: fall guy, patsy, whipping boy; see also Thesaurus:scapegoat He is making me a scapegoat for his own poor business decisions and the supply chain disruptions caused by the hurricane! ==== Synonyms ==== See Thesaurus:scapegoat ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === scapegoat (third-person singular simple present scapegoats, present participle scapegoating, simple past and past participle scapegoated) (transitive, intransitive) To unfairly blame or punish someone for some failure; to make a scapegoat of. ==== Translations ==== === Related terms === scapegoatable scapegoater scapegoating (noun) scapegoatism === See also === blame Canada blameshift escape look for a dog to kick sacrificial lamb