TARGET

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French ~te, targuete, diminutive of targe light shield, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse targa shield Date: 14th century a small round shield, 2. a mark to shoot at, a ~ marked by shots fired at it, something or someone fired at or marked for attack, a goal to be achieved, 3. an object of ridicule or criticism, something or someone to be affected by an action or development, 4. the metallic surface (as of platinum or tungsten) upon which the stream of electrons within an X-ray tube is focused and from which the X-rays are emitted, a body, surface, or material bombarded with nuclear particles or electrons, II. transitive verb Date: 1837 to make a ~ of , to direct or use toward a ~