Goadstick
/ˈɡoʊd.stɪk/noun
A stick fitted with a pointed end or goad for driving or directing animals.
Did you know?The word preserves an old pastoral technology: before modern handling tools, a sharpened stick—or goad—was used to make stubborn animals move.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*gaidaz
“A goad or pointed implement; the deeper Indo-European origin is uncertain.”
Old English
Old English
gād
“A goad, spear, or pointed rod used to drive animals.”
Old English
Old English
sticca
“A stick, twig, or slender piece of wood.”
Middle English
Middle English
gode / goad
“A pointed rod for urging cattle or other animals.”
16th–17th Century
English
goadstick
“A compound noun for a stick bearing or functioning as a goad.”
Modern English
English
goadstick
“An archaic or rare term for a goad, especially a pointed stick used to prod animals.”