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scapegoat
scapegoat in the Bible, a goat sent into the wilderness after the Jewish chief priest had symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it, as in Leviticus 16:22. In the Mosaic ritual of the Day of Atonement, this was the one of two goats that was chosen to be sent alive into the wilderness, while the other was sacrificed.
The English term scapegoat appears to have been coined by Tyndale from archaic scape ‘escape’ + goat; that is, the goat which was not to be sacrificed. In the early 19th century, the word acquired the more general meaning of a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "scapegoat." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "scapegoat." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-scapegoat.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "scapegoat." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-scapegoat.html |
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scapegoat
scapegoat One blamed, punished, or stigmatized for the misdeeds of others, after the classic atonement tale in Leviticus 16, in which one of two goats was sent into the wilderness after having the sins of the people symbolically placed upon it. Scapegoating theory has been developed in social science to examine the basis of prejudice (as in the work of Gordon Allport), and is implicit in much deviance theory, especially labelling theory and the work of Émile Durkheim on the functions of deviance. Thomas S. Szasz uses it in The Manufacture of Madness (1970) to explain the hostility towards the mentally ill.
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GORDON MARSHALL. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. GORDON MARSHALL. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-scapegoat.html GORDON MARSHALL. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-scapegoat.html |
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scapegoat
scapegoat In English usage, a person who bears the blame which properly falls on others; in OT (Lev. 16: 8, 10) a goat was chosen ‘for Azazel’ (the name of a demon) and instead of being sacrificed it was released into the desert, symbolically carrying with it the sins of the people to a place of no return. It is a theme not used in the NT; it might have been expected at Heb. 9: 7. But, later, it becomes part of Christian piety (e.g. epistle of Barnabas, 7: 7–11).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-scapegoat.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "scapegoat." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-scapegoat.html |
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scapegoat
scape·goat / ˈskāpˌgōt/ • n. a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, esp. for reasons of expediency. DERIVATIVES: scape·goat·er n. scape·goat·ing n. scape·goat·ism / -ˌizəm/ n. |
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Cite this article
"scapegoat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scapegoat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scapegoat.html "scapegoat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scapegoat.html |
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Scapegoat
Scapegoat. Jewish sin-offering let loose on the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement Temple ritual included casting lots between two goats. One was sacrificed to God, while the other was dedicated to Azazel. It was released into the wilderness and cast over a cliff: see Leviticus 16.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Scapegoat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Scapegoat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Scapegoat.html JOHN BOWKER. "Scapegoat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Scapegoat.html |
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scapegoat
scapegoat
•afloat, bloat, boat, capote, coat, connote, cote, dote, emote, float, gloat, goat, groat, misquote, moat, mote, note, oat, outvote, promote, quote, rote, shoat, smote, stoat, Succoth, table d'hôte, Terre Haute, throat, tote, vote, wrote
•flatboat
•mailboat, sailboat, whaleboat
•speedboat • keelboat
•dreamboat, steamboat
•lifeboat • iceboat • longboat
•sauceboat • houseboat
•rowboat, showboat
•U-boat • tugboat • gunboat
•powerboat • motorboat • riverboat
•workboat • Haggadoth • anecdote
•scapegoat • redingote • nanny goat
•zygote • redcoat • tailcoat • raincoat
•waistcoat • greatcoat • petticoat
•topcoat • housecoat • undercoat
•entrecôte • surcoat • turncoat
•matelote • banknote • headnote
•endnote • keynote • woodnote
•footnote • compote • whitethroat
•shofroth • bluethroat • cut-throat
•creosote • mitzvoth • mezuzoth
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"scapegoat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scapegoat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-scapegoat.html "scapegoat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-scapegoat.html |
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