I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: scape (I) + goat; intended as translation of Hebrew 'azāzēl (probably name of a demon), as if 'ēz 'ōzēl goat that departs, Lev 16:8 (AV)
1. : a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is suffered to escape into the wilderness as part of the ceremony prescribed by Biblical law for Yom Kippur
2. : an animal or person to whom sins, ill luck, or other evils are ceremonially attached and who symbolically bears them away by being sacrificed or exiled
3.
a. : a person or thing bearing the blame for others
made a scapegoat and relieved for a failure not his own — H.W.Baldwin
b. : a person, group, race, or institution against whom is directed the irrational hostility and unrelieved aggression of others
the wholesale hunting for scapegoats at whom all can throw invectives — Walter Coutu
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to displace aggression or project guilt upon
the minority groups in the country conveniently scapegoated — H.H.Long