Scapegoat
/ˈskeɪpˌɡoʊt/noun
A person or group unfairly blamed for the mistakes or sins of others.
Did you know?The word was coined in the 16th century in the English Bible translation of Leviticus, where one goat was symbolically sent away into the wilderness carrying the community’s sins.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
עֲזָאזֵל (ʿazāzēl)
“The wilderness figure or destination associated with the goat sent away bearing sins”
3rd Century BCE
Greek
ἀποπομπαῖος τράγος (apopompaîos trágos)
“The goat sent away as an expulsion offering”
Latin
Latin
caper emissarius
“The sent-out goat”
1530s
English
scape-goat
“A goat sent into the wilderness as a symbol of carrying away sin and guilt”
Modern English
English
scapegoat
“A person blamed for the faults or sins of others”