scapegoat

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• Canada, US: /ˈskeɪpˌɡoʊt/
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• UK: /ˈskeɪpˌɡəʊt/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: S K EY1 P G OW2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From scape + goat; coined by English biblical scholar and translator William Tyndale, interpreting Biblical Hebrew עֲזָאזֵל (“azazél”) (Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26), from an interpretation as coming from עֵז (ez, “goat”) and אוזל (ozél, “escapes”). First attested 1530. Compare English scapegrace, scapegallows.

135 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: كَبْش فِدَاء (kabš fidāʔ) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Armenian: քավության նոխազ (kʻavutʻyan noxaz) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Azerbaijani: günah keçisi — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Basque: ahuntz-buru — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Belarusian: казёл адпушчэ́ння (kazjól adpuščénnja) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Belarusian: ахвя́рны казёл (axvjárny kazjól) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Bulgarian: же́ртвен козе́л (žértven kozél) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Catalan: boc expiatori — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Catalan: boc emissari — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Chinese Mandarin: 代罪羔羊 (dàizuì gāoyáng) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Chinese Mandarin: 替罪羊 (tìzuìyáng) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Czech: obětní beránek — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Danish: syndebuk — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Dutch: zondebok — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Esperanto: propeka kapro — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Estonian: patuoinas — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Faroese: syndabukkur — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Finnish: syntipukki — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• French: bouc émissaire — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Georgian: განტევების ვაცი (ganṭevebis vaci) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• German: Sündenbock — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Greek: αποδιοπομπαίος τράγος (apodiopompaíos trágos) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Ancient Greek: φαρμακός (pharmakós) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Hebrew: שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל (sa'ír la'azazél) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Hungarian: bűnbak — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Icelandic: blórabögglar — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Irish: sceilpín gabhair — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Italian: capro espiatorio — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Japanese: 贖罪の山羊 (shokuzai no yagi) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Korean: 희생양 (huisaeng'yang) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Latin: caper ēmissārius — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Lithuanian: atpirkimo ožys — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Luxembourgish: Sënnebock — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Macedonian: жр́твен ја́рец (žŕtven járec) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Norwegian: syndebukk — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Polish: kozioł ofiarny — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Portuguese: bode expiatório — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Romanian: țap ispășitor — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Russian: козёл отпуще́ния (kozjól otpuščénija) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Serbo-Croatian: жртвени јарац — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Serbo-Croatian: жртвено јање — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Serbo-Croatian: žrtveni jarac — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Serbo-Croatian: žrtveno janje — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Slovak: obetný baránok — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Slovene: grešni kozel — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Spanish: chivo expiatorio — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Swedish: syndabock — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Thai: แพะรับบาป (pɛ́-ráp-bàap) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Thai: แพะ (pɛ́) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Turkish: günah keçisi — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Ukrainian: офі́рний цап (ofírnyj cap) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Ukrainian: козе́л відпу́щення (kozél vidpúščennja) — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Vietnamese: con dê gánh tội — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Welsh: bwch dihangol — a goat imbued with the sins of the people
• Afrikaans: sondebok — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Arabic: كَبْش فِدَاء (kabš fidāʔ) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Armenian: քավության նոխազ (kʻavutʻyan noxaz) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Azerbaijani: günah keçisi — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Bulgarian: изкупителна жертва (izkupitelna žertva) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Catalan: boc expiatori — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Catalan: víctima expiatòria — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Chinese Cantonese: 替死鬼 (tai3 sei2 gwai2) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Chinese Mandarin: 替罪羊 (tìzuìyáng) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Chinese Mandarin: 替死鬼 (tìsǐguǐ) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Chinese Mandarin: 代罪羔羊 (dàizuì gāoyáng) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Czech: obětní beránek — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Danish: syndebuk — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Dutch: zondebok — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Esperanto: propeka kapro — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Esperanto: propeka kaprino — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Estonian: patuoinas — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Estonian: peksupoiss — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Estonian: peksukott — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Estonian: must lammas — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Faroese: syndabukkur — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Finnish: syntipukki — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• French: bouc émissaire — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• French: chèvre émissaire — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Georgian: განტევების ვაცი (ganṭevebis vaci) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• German: Sündenbock — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• German: Prügelknabe — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Greek: αποδιοπομπαίος τράγος (apodiopompaíos trágos) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Greek: εξιλαστήριο θύμα (exilastírio thýma) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Ancient Greek: ἀποπομπαῖος τράγος (apopompaîos trágos) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Hebrew: שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל (sa'ír la'azazél) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Hindi: बकरा (bakrā) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Hungarian: bűnbak — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Icelandic: blóraböggull — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Indonesian: kambing hitam — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Irish: ceap milleáin — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Italian: capro espiatorio — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Italian: capro emissario — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Japanese: スケープゴート (sukēpugōto) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Japanese: 身代わり (migawari) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Japanese: 生贄 (ikenie) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Japanese: 贖罪の山羊 (shokuzai no yagi) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Latvian: grēkāzis — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Lithuanian: atpirkimo ožys — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Macedonian: жр́твен ја́рец (žŕtven járec) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Malayalam: ബലിയാട് (baliyāṭŭ) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Māori: uaparenga — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Marathi: बळीचा बकरा (baḷīcā bakrā) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Norwegian: syndebukk — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Polish: kozioł ofiarny — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Portuguese: bode expiatório — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Russian: козёл отпуще́ния (kozjól otpuščénija) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Russian: стре́лочник (stréločnik) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Russian: ма́льчик для битья́ (málʹčik dlja bitʹjá) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Russian: крайний (krajnij) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Serbo-Croatian: жртвени јарац — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Serbo-Croatian: žrtveni jarac — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Spanish: cabeza de turco — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Spanish: chivo expiatorio — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Spanish: chivo emisario — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Swedish: syndabock — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Tagalog: bagsakan ng sisi — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Thai: แพะรับบาป (pɛ́-ráp-bàap) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Turkish: günah keçisi — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Turkish: şamar oğlanı — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Ukrainian: козе́л відпу́щення (kozél vidpúščennja) — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Vietnamese: bia đỡ đạn — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Welsh: bwch dihangol — someone blamed for someone else's error(s)
• Estonian: süüd veeretama — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Estonian: patuoinaks tegema — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Finnish: vierittää syy — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Finnish: sysätä syy — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Finnish: nimetä syntipukiksi — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• French: bouc-émissariser — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• German: zum Sündenbock machen — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Hungarian: bűnbakot csinálnak belőle — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Italian: fare da capro espiatorio — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Malayalam: ബലിയാടാക്കുക (baliyāṭākkuka) — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Portuguese: fazer de bode expiatório — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Russian: де́лать козлом отпущения (délatʹ kozlom otpuščenija) — to blame or punish for the errors of others
• Spanish: usar de chivo expiatorio — to blame or punish for the errors of others