Goalie
/ˈɡoʊli/noun
A goalkeeper in sports such as hockey or soccer.
Did you know?Goalie is a 20th-century slang shortening of goalkeeper, so it has no ancient occult root — but its job is pure ritual symbolism: the one person appointed to stop the “goal” from being fulfilled.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
gāl
“wild, wanton, lascivious”
Middle English
ME
goal
“a limit, boundary, or objective”
19th Century
English
goalkeeper
“a person who guards a goal in games”
20th Century
English
goalie
“a casual shortened form of goalkeeper”