The goat is one of the oldest
domesticated animals, predating both the cow and the horse in it's relationship to Man.
Little wonder, as any fool could see that it's much
easier to capture and tame a wild goat weighing 100 pounds than a
wild cow tipping the scale at 1000. At any rate, having
been around for so long, it's only natural that we would find our language blessed with a number of goat words and goat related expressions. That's the inspiration for this little
section; a very short compilation of
'goat' words, famous goats and phrases; along with their meaning, and,
if I happen to know it or feel like making one up, it's
history.
Amalthea: In Greek mythology, this is the name of the goat that suckled baby Zeus. Her broken off horn became the horn of plenty, AKA the "Cornucopia". Tradition says that in gratitude, Zeus placed Amalthea among the stars.
Bagwyn: Mythical creature with the horns of a goat and the tail of a horse used in Heraldic symbols.
Billy: The common name for an uncastrated male goat of any age.
Bromine: A chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is named for the Greek word "bromos," which means "stench of he-goats."
Buck: The proper name for an uncastrated adult male goat.
Buckling: The proper name for an uncastrated male under one year
Cabrito: Spanish for the meat of a young goat.
Cacho de cabra: Translated "horn of the goat", an elongated, pointed red hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) from Chile that resembles a goat's horn.
Capricious: Impulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse, or whim.
Capricorn: Constellation in the Zodiac that represents a goat with a fish's tail.
Cashmere: The soft "wool" or undercoat of a goat. Considered one of the finest fibers in the world.
Chevon: French for the the meat of a young goat.
Chevre: French cheese made from goat milk.
Cornucopia: The spiraling horn of a goat,usually depicted as being full of fruits, grains and other goodies.
Doe: the proper name for a female goat. Also; a deer, a
female deer
Doeling: A female goat under one year of age.
Dulce de Leche: a Mexican confection made with half goat's milk and half cow's milk. Also called Cajeta.
Gävle Goat: A giant version of the Yule Goat, erected every year in the Swedish city of Gävle.
Get someones' goat: Also: Get your goat. To tease. To
make someone angry or annoyed.
Goat (1): Capra aegagrus hircus. A cud chewing mammal
with hollow horns and cloven hooves.
Goat (2): a victim of ridicule or pranks.
Goat (3): The person last in their class at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Goat (4): Nickname for an American automobile, the Pontiac GTO.
Goat (5): is the eighth sign of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. Sometimes called the sheep or ram.
G.O.A.T.: acronym for Greatest Of All Time
Goatee:
A small pointed beard on a man's chin, which rather resembles
the small pointed beard on a real goat.
Goat Cart: Small cart designed to be pulled by a goat. See illustration above
Goat Fish: (mullus auratus) a variable sized salt water fish that lives on coral reefs.
Goathead: A small multi pointed sticker that is actually a seed
of a particularly obnoxious species of grassy weed found in
North America.
Goatherd: A person who watches
the goats.
Goatskin: Obviously, the skin of a goat,
or leather made from it.
Goatsucker: A bird with
a flat head and a large wide mouth. It does not eat goats,
or suck their milk. It eats insects; particularly mosquitos.
Heiðrún: In Norse mythology, the goat that eats leaves from the tree called Læraðr. Instead of milk, she produces an everflowing supply of a drink called Mead.
Judas Goat: A goat that is trained to lead sheep down the chutes at a stockyards. At the last minute, the goat is released from a side door in the chute, while the sheep continue moving forward to slaughter.
Julbok: English translation "Yule Buck", pronounced "Yool Bahk". A Scandinavian Christmas symbol that originally depicted the unfortunate animal that was slaughtered near Yule. The modern version is usually a small ornament made of bark or straw and decorated with red ribbon.
Kid (1): A goat of either sex under one year of age.
Kid (2): playing around, joking.
Kidskin: The skin of a baby goat, or the extremly
fine soft leather made from a kid.
Mohair: Fine fiber made from the long wool of the Angora goat.
Mountain Goat: A large, shaggy white North American herbivore. Incredibly agile and sure footed, it's actually a type of antelope.
Nanny: The common name for a female goat, especially one giving
milk.
Pan: Greek god depicted as having the legs and horns of a goat, walked upright.
Scapegoat: A person
made to suffer for the mistakes or wrongdoing of another.
Tanngnjóstr: Swedish; translated as one who grinds his teeth. In Norse mythology, he is one of a pair of magic goats that were said to have drawn Thor's chariot.
Tanngrisnir: Swedish; translated as one who has sparse teeth. In Norse mythology, this is the second of the pair of magic goats that were said to have drawn Thor's chariot.
Wattle: a small fleshy piece of skin usually in pairs, that some goats have on their neck.
Wether: A castrated male goat of any age.
William Windsor: Kashmir Buck who served as a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion, the Royal Welsh, an infantry battalion of the British Army from 2001 to 2009 except for a three month period in 2006 when he was demoted to fusilier, after "unacceptable behaviour" during the Queens' birthday celebrations. Full story here.
Meanwhile...
