Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: scape (from scape 'to get away' (13-20 centuries), from escape) + goat; meant as a translation of Hebrew 'azazel (probably the name of an evil spirit in the Bible), as if it were 'ez 'ozel 'goat that leaves'

scapegoat

 noun
     
scape‧goat [countable]
someone who is blamed for something bad that happens, even if it is not their fault
scapegoat for
She believed she had been made a scapegoat for what happened.
—scapegoat verb [transitive]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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