targetn.¹

Brit.

/ˈtɑːɡɪt/, U.S.

/ˈtɑrɡət/

Forms: α. Middle English tergett, Middle English–1600s targett, Middle English– target; β. Middle English–1500s targat, 1500s targatt, tergat, tergate, terguette, Scottish tergatt, tarcat, 1500s–1600s targuet.

Etymology: diminutive of targe n.¹: compare French targete, -ette, also 15–16th cent. targuet(t)e, Italian targhetta. The actual history is uncertain, chiefly from the ambiguity of the spelling target . The current pronunciation with ‘hard g ’ /ɡ/ is carried back to 15th cent. by the spelling targat (so in 16th cent. -guet ), but the early spelling target might be /ˈtɑːrdʒɛt/, which would have been the natural English diminutive of targe n.¹ In French also, the ordinary form was targete, targette /-ʒɛt/; but, alongside of this, targuete /-ɡɛt/, is cited of 1494, and -guette in 16th cent. (possibly after Provençal targuetta or Italian targhetta). It is possible that English target had at first ‘soft g’ /dʒ/ after targe and Old French target(t)e, but that this was at an early date changed to the present pronunciation with ‘hard g’, after French targuet(t)e, and the Provençal and Italian forms.

1. A light round shield or buckler; a small targe. Also figurative. Now chiefly Historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > shield > [noun] > small

bucklera1300

rondelc1300

targeta1400

roundel1538

rundle1562

rondache1591

pelta1600

pelt1617

α.

a1400–50 Alexander 2622 Taches in-to targetis tamed þaire brenys.

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xxi. 97 Þai bere a grete target, with whilk þai couer all þaire body.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 487/1 Ta(r)get, or defence,..scutum, ancile.

1483 Cath. Angl. 380/1 A Tergett, pelta.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ij The kynges banner and courser, his coate of armes, his sworde, his target, and his helme.

1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia i. iv. 31 At whom hee discharged his Pistoll, which lighted upon his Targett.

1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 156 [The Highlanders] carried great wooden Targets large enough to cover the upper part of their Bodies.

1785 J. Boswell Jrnl. Tour Hebrides 17 Oct. 1773, 406 He strutted about the room with a broad-sword and target.

1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour ix. 164 The Scots auxiliary troops, who took a part with the French forces at the battle of Fontenoy.., appeared with shields or targets.

β. 14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 615/27 Targia, a targat, or a pavys.1507 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1901) III. 394 To Simon Glasfurd buklarmakar, for hornyng of foure tergatis,..iij li.1508 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 121 Item, payit..for ane sicht of ane tarcat, thre lokkis to basnetis, xij bukkilles.1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. vii. 146 The horrible tergate, bustuus Egida, Quhilk is the grevit Pallas grysly scheild.1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 314 The image of the same Quintus made with his terguette.1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 93 Havyng their targattes on their sholderes.

†2.

a. A shield-shaped ornament or plaque of precious metal, often jewelled, worn esp. as a decoration in the head-dress. Scottish. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > brooch or pin > [noun] > of specific shape or form

scutcheon1483

target1507

tussy1541

crotcheta1685

spray1803

safety pin1850

cluster-pin1873

luckenbooth brooch1882

fáinne1919

luckenbooth1976

1507 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 15 Tua targetis for bonetis hornyt with gold for bonetis.

1542 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 68 Item ane bonet of blak velvott with ane tergat of the marmadin, hir taill of dyamonttis.

1556 W. Lauder Compend. Tractate Dewtie of Kyngis sig. C2 Nocht haueand respect..To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis.

a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 368 He gaif hir great giftis of cheinzeis targattis and tablattis and ringis.

?a1600 Johnie Armstrong Ther hang nine Targats at Johnys Hat, And ilk an worth Three hundred Pound.

†b. A piece of money: apparently a scudo, an écu.[Cf. medieval Latin scutum, scutatum a coin of the early French kings (Du Cange).]

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > French coins > silver

scutec1400

shieldc1405

tracent1524

French crown1542

franc1603

cardecu1605

escuc1663

target1671

silver lewis1689

écu1704

1671 H. M. tr. Erasmus Colloquies 79 What price dost thou set upon thyself? At ten targets [L. Decem scutatis].

a. A shield-like structure, marked with concentric circles, set up to be aimed at in shooting practice; hence, any object used for the purpose, and transferred, spec. (a) a place or object selected for military attack, esp. by aerial bombing or missile assault; (b) a part of the body at which a boxer directs his attack.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > attack > [noun] > object of attack

target1756

objective point1846

civilian target1915

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > mark or target

markc1275

aimc1400

whitea1475

prop1496

level1525

scope1562

shot-mark1610

target1756

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > object of attack

mark1747

target1921

1756 E. Perronet Mitre i. cxxxix. 32 The Target of the Muse. [Note This word is here used in the military sense, and signifies a But or mark to be shot at.]

1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod ii. i. §17 I have seen the gentlemen who practise archery in the vicinity of London, repeatedly shoot from end to end, and not touch the target with an arrow.

1802–16 C. James New Mil. Dict. Target,..a mark for the artillery, &c. to fire at in their practice.

1859 Regulations for Musketry Instr. Army iv. 51 The targets are to be six feet in height and two in breadth, constructed of iron of sufficient thickness to be rifle-bullet proof.

1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) I. xvi. 423 In firing a ball against a target the projectile, after collision, is often found hot.

in extended use.1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXIII. 380/2 Taking range and size of target together, the most advantageous position is to be on the bow of the enemy while he bears abaft your beam.1914 G. Hamel & C. C. Turner Flying xvi. 285 A pilot will have to make three or four attempts before..a bomb can be released in any hope of getting near the target.1921 J. Driscoll Text-bk. Boxing 70 The ‘jaw’ target is..preferable, if it should happen to be exposed.1958 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. (U.S. ed.) 112 Target, that part of the boxer's body which may properly be punched, namely, the entire front and side parts of the body above the belt and the head.1959 Chambers's Encycl. XIII. 430/1 The bomber force was sent out and so timed as to converge upon the target and complete the entire attack within a few minutes.1971 H. Macmillan Riding Storm viii. 272 The R.A.F. carried out a number of rocket attacks on military targets.figurative.1900 Ld. Roberts in Daily News 27 July 5/3 The enemy were strongly entrenched, fought stubbornly, and gave no target.

b. figurative. Something aimed at or to be aimed at; esp. a person who is the object of general abuse, scorn, derision, or the like; = butt n.⁷ 5b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule

hethinga1340

japing-stickc1380

laughing stock?1518

mocking-stock1526

laughing game1530

jesting-stock1535

mockage1535

derision1539

sporting stocka1556

game1562

May game1569

scoffing-stock1571

playing stock1579

make-play1592

flouting-stock1593

sport1598

bauchle1600

jest1606

butt1607

make-sport1611

mocking1611

mirtha1616

laughing stakea1630

scoff1640

gaud1650

blota1657

make-mirth1656

ridicule1678

flout1708

sturgeon1708

laugh1710

ludibry1722

jestee1760

make-game1762

joke1791

laughee1808

laughing post1810

target1842

jest-word1843

Aunt Sally1859

monument1866

punchline1978

1756 [see sense 3a].

1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 106 They to whom my foolish passion were a target for their scorn.

1889 Tablet 14 Dec. 947 A target for the abuse of the prejudiced, the ignorant and the profane.

1906 Times 24 July 8/5 A target for popular ridicule.

c. A shooting match; the score made at such a match.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun]

shooting match1750

wed-shooting1792

target1825

shoot1892

wappenschaw1899

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > score in match

target1858

1825 Sporting Mag. 16 426 A grand target of the Reedwood Foresters took place the middle of August at Blithfield.

1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 313 A comparison between the largest ‘target’ of to-day, and the best that Colonel Hawker ever made with his crack Joe Manton, will show a progressive improvement of nearly 100 per cent., not only in closeness of shooting, but also in penetration.

1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 26 July 8/2 The Artists' team have made a magnificent target, and are scarcely likely to be beaten.

d. Physics. The object or material at which a beam of atomic or subatomic particles is directed, as in a cathode-ray tube or particle accelerator.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > cathode-ray tube > [noun] > cathode ray > object at which directed

target1915

the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > particle accelerator > [noun] > subjection to stream of particles > object of bombardment

target1961

1915 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 593/1 This anti-kathode (or target), enabling us to focus the rays, was introduced by Herbert Jackson.

1932 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 137 230 A target, A, of the metal to be investigated is placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of the proton stream.

1953 S. W. Amos & D. C. Birkinshaw Television Engin. I. x. 217 The action of television camera tubes is dependent on an electron beam which is focused on the target and deflected so as to cover it in a series of scanning lines.

1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. viii. 111 In a cyclotron, only one target at a time may be irradiated.

1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xi. 61 The target becomes positively charged in proportion to the light intensity.

e. Biology and Medicine. A region in a cell which is especially sensitive to radiation.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > substance > cell > parts of cell > [noun] > regions

polar cap1887

inclusion1890

target1936

periplasm1961

1936 D. E. Lea et al. in Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 56 The hypothesis that the bacterium is uniformly sensitive to radiation throughout its volume raises..difficulties, and attention will therefore be turned to the alternative hypothesis that a target exists which is specially sensitive.

1968 Brit. Med. Bull. 24 244/2 The curve can be represented by a model in which each of several targets in the organism must interact with radiation.

1979 I. M. Leahy et al. Nurse & Radiotherapy iii. 30 Targets are necessarily very small and are usually assumed to be within the nucleus or the DNA material itself.

f. colloquial. An amount set as a (minimum) objective, esp. in fund-raising; a result (i.e. a figure, sum of money, etc.) aimed at. on target, on the right track, as forecast. Hence loosely, any goal which one strives to achieve.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > end, purpose, or object > goal or target

markc1275

lodestarc1374

aimc1400

mete1402

pricka1450

butta1522

level1525

white marka1533

goal1540

Jack-a-Lent1553

blankc1557

scope1562

period1590

upshot1591

bird1592

golden goal1597

nick1602

quarry1615

North Star1639

huba1657

fair game1690

endgame1938

target1942

cockshot1995

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [adverb] > as predicted

on target1967

1942 Notes & Queries CLXXXIII. 256/1 Target. Who invented the ingenious use of this word for the amount aimed at in a public subscription? I think the use has been extended to things like coal consumption.

1943 Ann. Reg. 1942 307 The London Warship Week resulted in 146,065,225l. being raised as against the original target of 125,000,000l.

1951 E. Gowers ABC of Plain Words 133 If target was to have all the stimulating force it was capable of, it would not do to treat it as a live metaphor, and exhort people to do nothing more exciting..than merely to hit it. So we were offered a great variety of things that we might meritoriously do to our targets. We might reach them, achieve them, attain them or obtain them; we were to feel greatly encouraged if we came in sight of the target to which we were trying to do whatever we were trying to do, and correspondingly depressed if we found ourselves either a long way behind it or (what apparently amounts to the same thing) a long way short of it.

1952 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 20 Sept. 9/2 There are legislative targets, crop targets, charity targets, gross national product targets.

1964 F. Chichester Lonely Sea & Sky xxxii. 333 I had failed to beat my 30 day target by 3 days, 15 hours, 7 minutes.

1967 Time 18 Aug. 88 Diddy is sure he did it; yet a blind girl near by who hears all and who proves to be on target about everything else, says he never left his seat.

1977 Times 10 Aug. 5/5 There has been unrealistic targeteering; the 1960s building target of 500,000 was never required.

1981 Times 23 Oct. 22/1 First-half results from Jeavons Engineering are on target at £306,000 pre-tax.

g. Linguistics. = output n. 2f.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > output of linguistic rule

output1961

target1970

1970 J. Hill in Linguistic Inquiry I. 539 The formal statement of the HAB formation rule of Cupeño..is not going to be like the usual..rule involving description of input..; it can instead be visualized as involving first a statement of the target or output, and then a statement for reaching the target.

1977 Language 53 209 This constraint is a target; i.e., a number of rules of various types conspire to keep the verb in sentential second position.

4. Applied to various objects resembling a target or shield.

†a. A cymbal. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > cymbal

cymbalc825

chimea1300

chime-bellc1300

basinsa1350

target1696

zill1754

cymbalon1824

finger cymbal1845

crash cymbal1927

choke-cymbal1934

sock cymbal1936

sizzle cymbal1944

top cymbal1948

ride1956

splash cymbal1961

1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant xxi. 275 They have a kind of Violin, with three Strings,..and several little Brazen Targets, which..they knock against one another.

b. Cookery. The neck and breast of lamb as a joint; the fore-quarter without the shoulder.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb > cuts or parts

lamb-stones1615

target1756

lamb's fry1822

lamb-chopc1838

Rocky Mountain oyster1889

lap1922

1756 T. Gray Let. 19 Dec. in Corr. (1971) II. 488 Lord Surry loved butter'd lyng, & targets of mutton for breakfast.

1872 M. Jewry Every-day Cookery 72/2 Roast Target of Lamb.

1872 M. Jewry Every-day Cookery 72/2 Target is only the breast and neck joints not separated.

c. The sliding sight on a levelling staff; a vane.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > surveying instruments > part of a surveying instrument > sight on a surveying instrument

sight1559

vane1594

target1877

1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Target,..the sight, sliding on a leveling-staff. Also called a vane.

1900 H. M. Wilson Topogr. Surveying xv. 311 Leveling rods are of two general types: 1 Target rods; and 2 Speaking of self-reading rods.

1900 H. M. Wilson Topogr. Surveying xv. 313 The Boston [leveling] rod has a fixed target, and all readings upon it are obtained by extending the rod.

d. A disc-shaped signal on a railway switch, etc., indicating its position. U.S.

ΚΠ

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 Two targets, generally a round and an oblong one, and generally painted red and white respectively, are set at right angles to each other on a revolving shaft.

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 A common form of ordinary switches is an upright pivoted lever with target on top.

Compounds

C1. General attributive (sense 3).

target-firing n.

ΚΠ

1832 G. Downes Lett. from Continental Countries I. 138 A shooting-establishment, where target-firing is practised.

target-practice n.

ΚΠ

1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 288 The Surgeon, or Assistant-Surgeon, is to attend all Field Days, and invariably at Target-practice.

1902 Bible Student Oct. 198 They may safely tolerate attacks as the target practice of children.

target-range n.

ΚΠ

1895 Outing 26 79/1 The State owns two large target ranges which are also used as camp grounds.

target seeking adj.

ΚΠ

1947 Britannica Bk. of Year 841/2 Target-seeking missile, a missile, equipped with a target-seeking mechanism, which is attracted toward its target when it approaches its vicinity.

1977 Royal Air Force Yearbk. 4/2 (caption) A Harrier GR Mk 3..with laser-ranging and target-seeking equipment in the nose.

target-shooting n.

ΚΠ

1855 ‘G. Eliot’ in Fraser's Mag. 51 706/2 I will tell you of Weimar fairs and target-shooting.

target-shot n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > shooter

markman1562

marksman1641

markswoman1802

marker1820

shootist1864

target-shot1905

1905 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 646/2 It is foolish for an indifferent target-shot to go lion-hunting.

target-like adj.

target-proof adj.

target-shaped adj.

ΚΠ

1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 200 The pedicle..supports a target-shaped substance.

target-practise v.

ΚΠ

1949 H. Preece in B. A. Botkin Treasury Southern Folklore ii. iv. 341 The rumbling underground is Britt Bailey target-practising for a million years of shooting in hell.

1982 Sunday Sun-Times (Chicago) 8 Aug. 9 A witness..allegedly saw Hartmann's widow, Debra, target practicing at a suburban gun shop.

d. (Appositively) designating an object of attack. target-ship n. at Compounds 2.

target area n.

ΚΠ

1936 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 57 To prove that the target is a biological reality..the obvious experiment..is to use several different intensities of alpha rays and beta rays and to calculate the target area in each experiment.

1939 W. S. Churchill in New Statesman 7 Jan. 6/2 I think a great mistake has been made in spreading our A.R.P. efforts over the whole country, instead of concentrating on what I should call the target areas.

1958 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. (U.S. ed.) 77 Off the target, not connecting the opponent in the target area.

1980 J. McClure Blood of Englishman xxv. 232 ‘Target area coming up,’ he said, picking up the line of a wriggling dirt road... They were down to about 600 feet above the ground.

target boat n.

ΚΠ

1934 T. E. Lawrence Let. 8 June (1938) 805 At the moment we are all up to the teeth in 5 more target boats.

target vehicle n.

ΚΠ

1965 New Scientist 18 Mar. 701/2 The spacecraft will be manoeuvred by the pilots to approach the target vehicle closely, and finally to dock with it in a firm, mechanical manner.

e. transferred, esp. of a particular group over which influence is sought.

target audience n.

ΚΠ

1956 U.S. Air Force Dict. 513/2 Target audience, in psychological warfare, the people at whom propaganda is directed.

1982 Underground Grammarian Sept. 2/2 In order to broaden the ‘target audience’ of your newsletter..I might suggest that such material be written at a lower level of readability.

target company n.

ΚΠ

1977 Time 17 Oct. 58/3 The firm that eventually acquires the target company.

target group n.

ΚΠ

1972 Times 13 Dec. 4/7 It made no discriminations among target groups.

1979 Bull. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. Mar. 33 The programs to be undertaken in reaching these target groups were to involve workers in both the public and private sectors of health, agriculture, and education.

target population n.

ΚΠ

1971 Computers & Humanities 5 292 SPIRES is based on a behavioral science analysis of the information needs of a target population.

f. (In sense 3d.)

target nucleus n.

ΚΠ

1955 F. L. Friedman & V. F. Weisskopf in W. Pauli Niels Bohr & Devel. Physics 134 According to this model the effect of the target nucleus upon an incident particle can be described, at least as a first approximation, by an attractive potential.

target volume n.

ΚΠ

1946 D. E. Lea Actions of Radiations iii. 91 That dose..produces an average of one cluster in a volume equal to the target volume.

g. (In sense 3f, passing into adjective) by which the desired goal is specified.

target date n.

ΚΠ

1945 W. S. Churchill Victory (1946) 108 Full hutting..is nearing completion, the target date for which is May.

1977 Whitaker's Almanack 595 The Rhodesia conference in Geneva became deadlocked when leaders of White and Black delegations failed to agree on a target date for legal independence.

target figure n.

ΚΠ

1978 J. Irving World according to Garp viii. 163 Roberta was a target figure; she had made some people very angry.

target output n.

ΚΠ

1944 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 27 Oct. 1943–11 Apr. 1944. 441 Once more the merchantship target output was achieved.

target prize n.

ΚΠ

1962 Economist 24 Mar. 1098/2 Target prices for off-farm dairy products..are pitched at a much lower level.

target size n.

ΚΠ

1966 Observer 17 Apr. 10/3 Is there any magic in the figure of 30—the target size for classes?

C2.

target-card n. see quot.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > archery > [noun] > scorecard

target-card1875

transfer1909

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 378 [article Archery] Target-card, a card coloured in the same manner as the target, containing the names of the shooters, and used for scoring their respective hits.

target cell n. Biology and Medicine an abnormal form of red blood cell which appears as a dark ring surrounding a dark central spot in stained blood films; hence target cell anaemia, descriptive of any anæmia in which target cells are abundant.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > components of blood > blood corpuscle or plate > [noun] > red cells or corpuscles

globule1674

red corpuscle1747

red blood disc1835

red cell1843

red blood corpuscle1844

pneumocyte1872

poikilocyte1886

haematid1888

normoblast1889

polychromatic normoblast1899

normocyte1900

spherocyte1908

polychrome1909

siderocyte1915

reticulocyte1922

proerythroblast1927

target cell1938

acanthocyte1952

sideroblast1954

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > disorders of red cells > abnormal red cell

microcyte1876

megalocyte1886

macrocyte1889

megaloblast1890

gigantoblast1898

spherocyte1908

target cell1938

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > deficiency of red cells > anaemia > types of

ischemy1855

pernicious anaemia1874

ischaemia1878

Addison's anaemia1886

Addisonian pernicious anaemia1894

favism1903

Addisonian anaemia1904

hypoplastic anaemia1906

sickle cell anaemia1922

sicklemia1932

thalassaemia1932

Cooley's anaemia1934

Mediterranean disease1936

target cell anaemia1938

1938 A. M. Barrett in Jrnl. Pathol. & Bacteriol. 44 603 They will here be called ‘target types of red blood corpuscle’, or more briefly, ‘target corpuscles’. I have deliberately chosen a name which refers only to their appearance in stained films and not to their three-dimensional form.]

1938 A. M. Barrett in Jrnl. Pathol. & Bacteriol. 44 605 Often the frequency of target cells appeared to be affected by the thickness or thinness of the film.

1940 W. Dameshek in Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. CC. 445 Since an outstanding abnormality was the presence of large numbers of peculiar erythrocytes designated as ‘target cells’ by Barrett, the name ‘target cell anemia’ was adopted for this previously undescribed condition.

1969 G. M. Edington & H. M. Gilles Pathol. in Tropics x. 353 Excluding films obtained from persons homozygous or heterozygous for haemoglobin C, a high percentage of target cells in normal blood films has been observed in Ghana, Nigeria, and from East Africa.

target dialect n. the variety of a language learned as a second dialect.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > a language > dialect > [noun] > other types of dialect

rustic1841

idiolect1948

pachuco1948

target dialect1972

1972 J. L. Dillard Black Eng. vii. 293 The Network Standard dialect, for which both white and Black speakers have shown marked preferences, is obviously the preferable target dialect.

† target-fence n. Obsolete a protective fence or covering formed by targets or shields; a testudo.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > compact formation > shield-wall or testudo

pavisea1460

target-fence1598

pavisade1600

target-roof1601

pavisado1609

tortoiseshella1661

testudoa1680

tortoise1697

shield-wall1880

shield-hedge1892

shield-ring1892

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xiii. ix. 191 Hauing deuided his armie into foure parts, he [Corbulo] lead some close and thicke ranked together, for a target fence to vndermine and beate downe the rampire.

1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures (1663) lxix. 280 The Elephants withall setting their Trunks to the target fences..tore them down in such sort, as not one of them remained entire.

target indicator n. an object, as a flare, dropped in order to illuminate or delimit a target for aerial bombing.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > aircraft weapons or equipment > [noun] > target marker

marker1936

sky-marker bomb1943

marker bomb1944

target indicator1944

1944 Times 11 Apr. 4/4 The attack began with the dropping of target-indicators through cloud.

target-lamp n.

Categories »

target-lantern n. U.S. a lamp or lantern attached to a signal-target (see sense 4d), the function of which it discharges at night.

target man n. †(a) a man armed with a target (obsolete); (b) U.S. a signal-man who works signalling targets: see sense 4d; (c) Association Football (see quot. 1978).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > armed man > man wearing armour > [noun] > man armed with shield

targeter1382

paviserc1425

pavisec1500

target man1555

targeteera1593

targeman?17..

hypaspista1827

society > travel > rail travel > railway worker > [noun] > signalman

signalman1836

target mana1884

towerman1895

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > player > types of

marksman1927

marker1928

stopper1934

full back1958

sweeper1964

back four1966

libero1967

clogger1970

anchorman1974

target man1975

shadow1976

anchor1984

1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde ii. i. f. 55 He browght furth al his target men for feare of theyr venemous arrowes.

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 Turned by the target~man by means of a hand-lever.

1974 Times 23 Feb. 14/8 Even eight, nine and ten-year-olds these days are taught by games masters in terms of ‘striker’, ‘target player’..and the rest.]

1975 Times 14 Oct. 10/2 (caption) Stuart Pearson, a target man with Manchester United.

1978 Sunday Times 28 May (Colour Suppl.) 34/4 Target man, forward, usually a large one, used in central positions where colleagues can find him with long passes, usually to his head.

target organ n. Biology any organ which responds to a particular hormone or hormones in the body (cf. target tissue n. below).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > hormone target

target organ1947

target tissue1960

1947 H. Selye Textbk. Endocrinol. 17/1 The so-called ‘target organs’ or ‘end organs’ do not necessarily react to hormones under all conditions.

1972 Sci. Amer. Nov. 24/1 The pituitary secretes several complex hormones that travel through the bloodstream to target organs, notably the thyroid gland, the gonads and the cortex of the adrenal glands.

target program n. Computing = object program n. at object n. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > software > [noun] > system or utility programmes > translator > result of translation

object program1959

object code1961

object language1961

target program1969

1969 P. B. Jordain Condensed Computer Encycl. 516 The process begins with a source-language program..and ends with a target program.

1979 Personal Computer World Nov. 84/1 Any areas of data must be excluded from both and left intact as they are used by both the target program and the trace routine.

target-rifle n. a rifle adapted to target-shooting.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > target-rifle

match rifle1867

target-rifle1901

1901 Westm. Gaz. 23 Dec. 4/3 As a target-rifle the Lee-Metford is by no means in the front rank.

† target-roof n. Obsolete a testudo (= target-fence n.).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > engine of war > [noun] > movable shed

sow1297

mantel1357

snail1408

vinet1408

whelk1408

circlec1440

barbed-cat1489

mantle1489

mantlet1524

vine1565

tortoise1569

sow-guard1582

penthouse1600

penticle1600

target-roof1601

vinea1601

fence-roof1609

testudo1609

cat-house1614

vineyard1650

tortoiseshell1726

manta1829

cat1833

ram-house1850

tortoise-roof1855

bear1865

society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > compact formation > shield-wall or testudo

pavisea1460

target-fence1598

pavisade1600

target-roof1601

pavisado1609

tortoiseshella1661

testudoa1680

tortoise1697

shield-wall1880

shield-hedge1892

shield-ring1892

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 189 The vse..of the pauois, mantelets, targuet~roofs, for the assault of cities.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 36 The Romanes with a Testudo, or targuet-roofe [printed targnet-roofe]..tooke the place.

target-ship n. a condemned ship used as a target.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > weapon-training > firing practice > target

target-ship1901

queen bee1935

1901 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 July 1 A target ship, on board of which every new type of armour was tested.

target theory n. Biology and Medicine (see quots. and cf. sense 3e above).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > theories > [noun] > other theories

animalculism1845

target theory1936

1936 D. E. Lea et al. in Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 62 That regions of special sensitivity to radiation do exist..has been demonstrated and the additional postulate of the target theory, namely that there is only one such region, in an individual organism, is not improbable for bacteria.

1979 I. M. Leahy et al. Nurse & Radiotherapy iii. 30 One theory that has proved to be applicable to radiation biology experimentation is known as target theory. Briefly stated, this theory proposes that if alterations are produced within certain critical molecules in the cell, the loss of vital function that would result would lead to the death of the cell.

target tissue n. Biology any tissue which responds to a particular hormone or hormones within an organism (cf. target organ n. above).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > substance > [noun] > other types of

fibroin1861

micella1881

digest1918

bone-seeker1947

target tissue1960

biomineral1972

the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > hormone target

target organ1947

target tissue1960

1960 Jensen & Jacobsen in Pincus & Vollmer. Biol. Activities Steroids iii. 162 Information concerning the chemical fate—in the specific target tissues—of physiological amounts of steroid sex hormones should prove of value.

1974 M. C. Gerald Pharmacol. xxiii. 409 Whereas growth hormone and thyroid hormone are capable of influencing virtually all the cells of the body, most hormones act rather selectively on specific tissues referred to as target tissues.

1975 Sci. Amer. July 94/1 Where trees are concerned one of the target tissues for auxin is the cambium.

Draft additions 1993

A person who is the object of a security or espionage operation, esp. one kept under surveillance as a suspected spy. Originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > counter-espionage > [noun] > suspected person

target1958

1958 R. I. Perusse in Daugherty & Janowitz Psychol. Warfare Casebk. ii. 34 The expressions..‘psychological operations’, and ‘target’ should..be avoided. US observers can vouch for the discomfiture of foreign peoples at being considered by us as a fitting subject for manipulation.

1972 D. Bloodworth Any Number can Play ix. 69 You have doubtless read about the..‘swallows’ of the KGB, the young ladies trained..to bed down intelligence targets, so that they can be comfortably and conveniently bugged and photographed in compromising..positions?

1982 J. Bingham Brock & Defector iii. 49 A target in love with an agent was okay, but an agent in love with a target was bad news.

Draft additions January 2005

target-rich adj. originally U.S. Military having numerous sites regarded as potential targets for attack.

ΚΠ

1978 Aviation Week 13 Mar. 167/2 Their ‘complex search, identification, arm and fire sequences..leave much to be desired when you are in a target-rich environment’.

2004 Time (Electronic ed.) 29 Mar. 26 Yes, New York City is more target rich,..but there's been a lot of added security there.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

targetv.

Etymology: < target n.¹Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtarget.

†1. transitive. To protect with or as with a target; to shield. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > protect or defend [verb (transitive)]

shieldc825

frithc893

werea900

i-schield971

berghOE

biwerec1000

grithc1000

witec1000

keepc1175

burghena1225

ward?c1225

hilla1240

warrantc1275

witiec1275

forhilla1300

umshadea1300

defendc1325

fendc1330

to hold in or to warrantc1330

bielda1350

warisha1375

succoura1387

defencea1398

shrouda1400

umbeshadow14..

shelvec1425

targec1430

protect?1435

obumber?1440

thorn1483

warrantise1490

charea1500

safeguard1501

heild?a1513

shend1530

warrant1530

shadow1548

fence1577

safekeep1588

bucklera1593

counterguard1594

save1595

tara1612

target1611

screenc1613

pre-arm1615

custodite1657

shelter1667

to guard against1725

cushion1836

enshield1855

mind1924

buffer1958

1611 G. H. tr. Anti-Coton 18 [He] targets himselfe with the authoritie of Siluester.

1686 F. Spence tr. A. Varillas Ἀνεκδοτα Ἑτερουιακα 337 The garrison of Florence..was not sufficient to ward and target it from insult.

2. To use (a person) as a target. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > aim at

mete1598

rove1598

levy1618

mean1633

to cover (with a gun, pistol, etc.)1693

to draw a bead upon1831

target1837

sight1871

bead1888

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > invective or abuse > abuse [verb (transitive)]

vilea1300

rebutc1330

revilea1393

arunt1399

stainc1450

brawl1474

vituper1484

rebalk1501

to call (rarely to speak) (all) to naught1542

rattle1542

vituperate1542

bedaub1570

beray1576

bespurt1579

wring1581

misuse1583

caperclaw1589

abuse1592

rail1592

exagitate1593

to shoot atc1595

belabour1596

to scour one's mouth on1598

bespurtle1604

conviciate1604

scandala1616

delitigate1623

betongue1639

bespatter1644

rant1647

palt1648

opprobriatea1657

pelt1658

proscind1659

inveigh1670

clapperclaw1692

blackguard1767

philippize1804

drub1811

foul-mouth1822

bullyrag1823

target1837

barge1841

to light on ——1842

slang1844

villainize1857

slangwhang1880

slam-bang1888

vituperize1894

bad-mouth1941

slag1958

zing1962

to dump on (occasionally all over)1967

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures > make object of attack

target1837

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > severely

to be sharp upon1561

crossbite1571

scarify1582

canvass1590

maul1592

slasha1652

fib1665

to be severe on (or upon)1672

scalp1676

to pull to (or in) pieces1703

roast1710

to cut up1762

tomahawk1815

to blow sky-high1819

row1826

excoriate1833

scourge1835

target1837

slate1848

scathe1852

to take apart1880

soak1892

pan1908

burn1914

slam1916

sandbag1919

to put the blast on (someone)1929

to tear down1938

clobber1944

handbag1952

rip1961

monster1976

1837 Fraser's Mag. 16 244 If you doubt my word, load and target me again.

1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. iii. 90 To be targetted through..the..newspapers and executed afterwards in effigy.

3. U.S. To signal the position of (a railway switch, etc.) by means of a target (target n.¹ 4d).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > rail travel > [verb (transitive)] > direct or manage a railway engine > specific operations

work1835

shunt1845

flag1856

slip1866

whistle1869

sidetrack1872

signal1888

switch1891

target1893

highball1905

plunge1923

1893 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 17 Nov. The crews of both trains claim to have had the crossing targeted.

4. To plan or schedule (something) to attain an objective. Chiefly in Economics.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)]

forethinkc897

bethinka1225

compass1297

contrivec1330

ordain1340

conjectc1380

imaginec1380

cast1382

ordaina1387

advisec1400

forecast1413

imagec1450

ordainc1450

project1477

foreminda1535

invent1539

aimc1540

practise1550

plat1556

trive1573

meditate1582

patterna1586

plot1589

platform1592

design1594

chew1600

forelay1605

to map out1618

to cut out1619

agitate1629

laya1631

plod1631

cut1645

calculate1654

concert1702

to scheme out1716

plan1718

model1725

to rough out1738

to lay out1741

plan1755

prethink1760

shape1823

programme1834

pre-plan1847

encompass1882

target1948

1948 Observer 14 Mar. 3/6 Even herrings have targets now: 175,000 tons of fish are being ‘targeted’ to yield 17,000 tons of oil a year.

1959 Time (Atlantic ed.) 17 Aug. 53 Exports of heavy goods..are targeted to rise this year some 40%.

1972 Newsweek 7 Aug. 43/3 With test flights now targeted for 1976, the Shuttle is expected to be ready for operational missions in 1978.

1973 Daily Tel. 8 Dec. 23/2 Investment income..is targeted to reach £1 million in two years.

5. To aim (a nuclear weapon) at a target. Frequently const. on.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (transitive)] > direct actions, speech, etc., towards

fasteneOE

turna1200

redressa1393

intend?1504

convert1533

level1576

terminate1599

style1608

colline1674

intent1695

beam1956

target1964

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use or wield (a weapon) [verb (transitive)] > use nuclear weapons against > aim nuclear weapon at

target1964

1964 Financial Times 23 Mar. (Defence Suppl.) 17/4 The Soviet presence..comprises..a force of about 100 MRBMs targeted on Japan.

1972 Sci. Amer. Nov. 21/1 Each missile launches a ‘bus’, which has on board a large number of reentry missiles, each of which can be accurately and independently targeted.

1978 Observer 25 June 21/3 There were enough warheads to target some on China as well.

in extended use.1973 Times 2 Nov. 4/2 The scheme is targeted at those wanting to buy an older property.1974 Nature 1 Mar. 1/1 Research money should be targeted on problems whose solution would have the greatest benefit for society.1983 New Scientist 21 July 208/1 Practical conservation can rarely preserve an entire fauna: rather it is targeted at particular species.

6. To mark out or identify (a place, person, etc.) as a target. Chiefly U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (transitive)] > have as purpose or object

followeOE

studylOE

turna1200

pursuea1382

purposec1384

to shoot atc1407

ensue1483

proponea1500

studyc1503

prick1545

tread1551

suit1560

to go for ——1568

to set (up) one's rest1572

expect1578

propose1584

propound1596

aima1616

scope1668

to set up1691

aim1821

to go in for1835

to be out for1887

to be flat out for1930

target1966

shoot1967

society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > target for attack

target1966

1966 Guardian 30 Dec. 14/8 US policy is to target North Vietnamese military targets only.

1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. 5/1 He has no worlds left to conquer, for NCEC has captured all the ‘marginal’ conservative seats it had targeted.

1978 S. Brill Teamsters vii. 297 The airline industry was being targeted for a recruiting drive.

1983 Listener 25 Aug. 4/3 They've targeted 22 airlines for special treatment.

7. To direct or aim on a course. Frequently const. to.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > cause to move in a direction [verb (transitive)]

steerc888

righteOE

wisec1330

guy1362

makea1425

guide?a1505

to make forth1508

direct1526

to make out1560

bend1582

incline1597

work1667

usher1668

head1826

humour1847

vector1966

target1974

1974 Nature 1 Mar. 16/3 Temperature profiles of the moons of those planets will be helpful in targeting the spacecraft to take a look at the most interesting features.

1976 Sci. Amer. June 74/1 The second spacecraft will be targeted to fly past Saturn and on toward Uranus.

1976 National Observer (U.S.) 21 Aug. 3/3 Then allocations are made with about one-third going to state governments and two-thirds to local governments, targeted to those jurisdictions with the highest unemployment.

1980 Sci. Amer. Aug. 88/2 Highly specialized transport systems that are in effect independent of the tissue through which they convey substances might be exploited as a means of ‘targeting’ therapeutic drugs for particular organs or tissues.

1981 New Scientist 6 Aug. 343/2 Later perhaps it will be possible to target liposomes or red cells..to whatever part of the body they are needed [sic].

Derivatives

ˈtargeting n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > directing something to end or purpose

targeting1961

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > [noun] > aim or aiming

level1548

targeting1961

1961 Guardian 24 Oct. 8/4 Being forced to rely on so much inspection..that targeting information would be given away to the other side.

1963 Newsweek 11 Feb. 23 Planners have recently put forward the notion of city-avoidance, a tacit agreement between potential enemies to arrange their targeting so that missiles are aimed at military objectives rather than civilian populations.

1968 Economist 8 June 65/2 A general complaint is that consultants sometimes stick too much to their business precepts, such as ‘targeting’ and do not bend enough to the particular needs of the company.

1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. 5/1 NCEC laid out $350,000 for candidates in 1976. That paid for 64 polls in 32 separate congressional districts and for computerized precinct targeting and analysis in more than 40 districts.

1977 Time 21 Nov. 24/2 None of these possess as sophisticated a targeting system as the new Soviet model's [sc. a T-72 tank].

1982 Financial Times 13 Mar. 14/1 In terms of targeting ability.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online December 2019).

单词	target
释义	targetn.¹ Brit. /ˈtɑːɡɪt/, U.S. /ˈtɑrɡət/ Forms: α. Middle English tergett, Middle English–1600s targett, Middle English– target; β. Middle English–1500s targat, 1500s targatt, tergat, tergate, terguette, Scottish tergatt, tarcat, 1500s–1600s targuet. Etymology: diminutive of targe n.¹: compare French targete, -ette, also 15–16th cent. targuet(t)e, Italian targhetta. The actual history is uncertain, chiefly from the ambiguity of the spelling target . The current pronunciation with ‘hard g ’ /ɡ/ is carried back to 15th cent. by the spelling targat (so in 16th cent. -guet ), but the early spelling target might be /ˈtɑːrdʒɛt/, which would have been the natural English diminutive of targe n.¹ In French also, the ordinary form was targete, targette /-ʒɛt/; but, alongside of this, targuete /-ɡɛt/, is cited of 1494, and -guette in 16th cent. (possibly after Provençal targuetta or Italian targhetta). It is possible that English target had at first ‘soft g’ /dʒ/ after targe and Old French target(t)e, but that this was at an early date changed to the present pronunciation with ‘hard g’, after French targuet(t)e, and the Provençal and Italian forms. 1. A light round shield or buckler; a small targe. Also figurative. Now chiefly Historical. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > shield > [noun] > small bucklera1300 rondelc1300 targeta1400 roundel1538 rundle1562 rondache1591 pelta1600 pelt1617 α. a1400–50 Alexander 2622 Taches in-to targetis tamed þaire brenys. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xxi. 97 Þai bere a grete target, with whilk þai couer all þaire body. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 487/1 Ta(r)get, or defence,..scutum, ancile. 1483 Cath. Angl. 380/1 A Tergett, pelta. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ij The kynges banner and courser, his coate of armes, his sworde, his target, and his helme. 1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia i. iv. 31 At whom hee discharged his Pistoll, which lighted upon his Targett. 1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 156 [The Highlanders] carried great wooden Targets large enough to cover the upper part of their Bodies. 1785 J. Boswell Jrnl. Tour Hebrides 17 Oct. 1773, 406 He strutted about the room with a broad-sword and target. 1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour ix. 164 The Scots auxiliary troops, who took a part with the French forces at the battle of Fontenoy.., appeared with shields or targets. β. 14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 615/27 Targia, a targat, or a pavys.1507 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1901) III. 394 To Simon Glasfurd buklarmakar, for hornyng of foure tergatis,..iij li.1508 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 121 Item, payit..for ane sicht of ane tarcat, thre lokkis to basnetis, xij bukkilles.1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. vii. 146 The horrible tergate, bustuus Egida, Quhilk is the grevit Pallas grysly scheild.1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 314 The image of the same Quintus made with his terguette.1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 93 Havyng their targattes on their sholderes. †2. a. A shield-shaped ornament or plaque of precious metal, often jewelled, worn esp. as a decoration in the head-dress. Scottish. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > brooch or pin > [noun] > of specific shape or form scutcheon1483 target1507 tussy1541 crotcheta1685 spray1803 safety pin1850 cluster-pin1873 luckenbooth brooch1882 fáinne1919 luckenbooth1976 1507 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 15 Tua targetis for bonetis hornyt with gold for bonetis. 1542 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 68 Item ane bonet of blak velvott with ane tergat of the marmadin, hir taill of dyamonttis. 1556 W. Lauder Compend. Tractate Dewtie of Kyngis sig. C2 Nocht haueand respect..To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis. a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 368 He gaif hir great giftis of cheinzeis targattis and tablattis and ringis. ?a1600 Johnie Armstrong Ther hang nine Targats at Johnys Hat, And ilk an worth Three hundred Pound. †b. A piece of money: apparently a scudo, an écu.[Cf. medieval Latin scutum, scutatum a coin of the early French kings (Du Cange).] ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > French coins > silver scutec1400 shieldc1405 tracent1524 French crown1542 franc1603 cardecu1605 escuc1663 target1671 silver lewis1689 écu1704 1671 H. M. tr. Erasmus Colloquies 79 What price dost thou set upon thyself? At ten targets [L. Decem scutatis]. 3. a. A shield-like structure, marked with concentric circles, set up to be aimed at in shooting practice; hence, any object used for the purpose, and transferred, spec. (a) a place or object selected for military attack, esp. by aerial bombing or missile assault; (b) a part of the body at which a boxer directs his attack. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > attack > [noun] > object of attack target1756 objective point1846 civilian target1915 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > mark or target markc1275 aimc1400 whitea1475 prop1496 level1525 scope1562 shot-mark1610 target1756 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > object of attack mark1747 target1921 1756 E. Perronet Mitre i. cxxxix. 32 The Target of the Muse. [Note This word is here used in the military sense, and signifies a But or mark to be shot at.] 1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod ii. i. §17 I have seen the gentlemen who practise archery in the vicinity of London, repeatedly shoot from end to end, and not touch the target with an arrow. 1802–16 C. James New Mil. Dict. Target,..a mark for the artillery, &c. to fire at in their practice. 1859 Regulations for Musketry Instr. Army iv. 51 The targets are to be six feet in height and two in breadth, constructed of iron of sufficient thickness to be rifle-bullet proof. 1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) I. xvi. 423 In firing a ball against a target the projectile, after collision, is often found hot. in extended use.1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXIII. 380/2 Taking range and size of target together, the most advantageous position is to be on the bow of the enemy while he bears abaft your beam.1914 G. Hamel & C. C. Turner Flying xvi. 285 A pilot will have to make three or four attempts before..a bomb can be released in any hope of getting near the target.1921 J. Driscoll Text-bk. Boxing 70 The ‘jaw’ target is..preferable, if it should happen to be exposed.1958 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. (U.S. ed.) 112 Target, that part of the boxer's body which may properly be punched, namely, the entire front and side parts of the body above the belt and the head.1959 Chambers's Encycl. XIII. 430/1 The bomber force was sent out and so timed as to converge upon the target and complete the entire attack within a few minutes.1971 H. Macmillan Riding Storm viii. 272 The R.A.F. carried out a number of rocket attacks on military targets.figurative.1900 Ld. Roberts in Daily News 27 July 5/3 The enemy were strongly entrenched, fought stubbornly, and gave no target. b. figurative. Something aimed at or to be aimed at; esp. a person who is the object of general abuse, scorn, derision, or the like; = butt n.⁷ 5b. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule hethinga1340 japing-stickc1380 laughing stock?1518 mocking-stock1526 laughing game1530 jesting-stock1535 mockage1535 derision1539 sporting stocka1556 game1562 May game1569 scoffing-stock1571 playing stock1579 make-play1592 flouting-stock1593 sport1598 bauchle1600 jest1606 butt1607 make-sport1611 mocking1611 mirtha1616 laughing stakea1630 scoff1640 gaud1650 blota1657 make-mirth1656 ridicule1678 flout1708 sturgeon1708 laugh1710 ludibry1722 jestee1760 make-game1762 joke1791 laughee1808 laughing post1810 target1842 jest-word1843 Aunt Sally1859 monument1866 punchline1978 1756 [see sense 3a]. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 106 They to whom my foolish passion were a target for their scorn. 1889 Tablet 14 Dec. 947 A target for the abuse of the prejudiced, the ignorant and the profane. 1906 Times 24 July 8/5 A target for popular ridicule. c. A shooting match; the score made at such a match. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] shooting match1750 wed-shooting1792 target1825 shoot1892 wappenschaw1899 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > score in match target1858 1825 Sporting Mag. 16 426 A grand target of the Reedwood Foresters took place the middle of August at Blithfield. 1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 313 A comparison between the largest ‘target’ of to-day, and the best that Colonel Hawker ever made with his crack Joe Manton, will show a progressive improvement of nearly 100 per cent., not only in closeness of shooting, but also in penetration. 1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 26 July 8/2 The Artists' team have made a magnificent target, and are scarcely likely to be beaten. d. Physics. The object or material at which a beam of atomic or subatomic particles is directed, as in a cathode-ray tube or particle accelerator. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > cathode-ray tube > [noun] > cathode ray > object at which directed target1915 the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > particle accelerator > [noun] > subjection to stream of particles > object of bombardment target1961 1915 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 593/1 This anti-kathode (or target), enabling us to focus the rays, was introduced by Herbert Jackson. 1932 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 137 230 A target, A, of the metal to be investigated is placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of the proton stream. 1953 S. W. Amos & D. C. Birkinshaw Television Engin. I. x. 217 The action of television camera tubes is dependent on an electron beam which is focused on the target and deflected so as to cover it in a series of scanning lines. 1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. viii. 111 In a cyclotron, only one target at a time may be irradiated. 1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xi. 61 The target becomes positively charged in proportion to the light intensity. e. Biology and Medicine. A region in a cell which is especially sensitive to radiation. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > substance > cell > parts of cell > [noun] > regions polar cap1887 inclusion1890 target1936 periplasm1961 1936 D. E. Lea et al. in Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 56 The hypothesis that the bacterium is uniformly sensitive to radiation throughout its volume raises..difficulties, and attention will therefore be turned to the alternative hypothesis that a target exists which is specially sensitive. 1968 Brit. Med. Bull. 24 244/2 The curve can be represented by a model in which each of several targets in the organism must interact with radiation. 1979 I. M. Leahy et al. Nurse & Radiotherapy iii. 30 Targets are necessarily very small and are usually assumed to be within the nucleus or the DNA material itself. f. colloquial. An amount set as a (minimum) objective, esp. in fund-raising; a result (i.e. a figure, sum of money, etc.) aimed at. on target, on the right track, as forecast. Hence loosely, any goal which one strives to achieve. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > end, purpose, or object > goal or target markc1275 lodestarc1374 aimc1400 mete1402 pricka1450 butta1522 level1525 white marka1533 goal1540 Jack-a-Lent1553 blankc1557 scope1562 period1590 upshot1591 bird1592 golden goal1597 nick1602 quarry1615 North Star1639 huba1657 fair game1690 endgame1938 target1942 cockshot1995 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [adverb] > as predicted on target1967 1942 Notes & Queries CLXXXIII. 256/1 Target. Who invented the ingenious use of this word for the amount aimed at in a public subscription? I think the use has been extended to things like coal consumption. 1943 Ann. Reg. 1942 307 The London Warship Week resulted in 146,065,225l. being raised as against the original target of 125,000,000l. 1951 E. Gowers ABC of Plain Words 133 If target was to have all the stimulating force it was capable of, it would not do to treat it as a live metaphor, and exhort people to do nothing more exciting..than merely to hit it. So we were offered a great variety of things that we might meritoriously do to our targets. We might reach them, achieve them, attain them or obtain them; we were to feel greatly encouraged if we came in sight of the target to which we were trying to do whatever we were trying to do, and correspondingly depressed if we found ourselves either a long way behind it or (what apparently amounts to the same thing) a long way short of it. 1952 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 20 Sept. 9/2 There are legislative targets, crop targets, charity targets, gross national product targets. 1964 F. Chichester Lonely Sea & Sky xxxii. 333 I had failed to beat my 30 day target by 3 days, 15 hours, 7 minutes. 1967 Time 18 Aug. 88 Diddy is sure he did it; yet a blind girl near by who hears all and who proves to be on target about everything else, says he never left his seat. 1977 Times 10 Aug. 5/5 There has been unrealistic targeteering; the 1960s building target of 500,000 was never required. 1981 Times 23 Oct. 22/1 First-half results from Jeavons Engineering are on target at £306,000 pre-tax. g. Linguistics. = output n. 2f. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > output of linguistic rule output1961 target1970 1970 J. Hill in Linguistic Inquiry I. 539 The formal statement of the HAB formation rule of Cupeño..is not going to be like the usual..rule involving description of input..; it can instead be visualized as involving first a statement of the target or output, and then a statement for reaching the target. 1977 Language 53 209 This constraint is a target; i.e., a number of rules of various types conspire to keep the verb in sentential second position. 4. Applied to various objects resembling a target or shield. †a. A cymbal. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > cymbal cymbalc825 chimea1300 chime-bellc1300 basinsa1350 target1696 zill1754 cymbalon1824 finger cymbal1845 crash cymbal1927 choke-cymbal1934 sock cymbal1936 sizzle cymbal1944 top cymbal1948 ride1956 splash cymbal1961 1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant xxi. 275 They have a kind of Violin, with three Strings,..and several little Brazen Targets, which..they knock against one another. b. Cookery. The neck and breast of lamb as a joint; the fore-quarter without the shoulder. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb > cuts or parts lamb-stones1615 target1756 lamb's fry1822 lamb-chopc1838 Rocky Mountain oyster1889 lap1922 1756 T. Gray Let. 19 Dec. in Corr. (1971) II. 488 Lord Surry loved butter'd lyng, & targets of mutton for breakfast. 1872 M. Jewry Every-day Cookery 72/2 Roast Target of Lamb. 1872 M. Jewry Every-day Cookery 72/2 Target is only the breast and neck joints not separated. c. The sliding sight on a levelling staff; a vane. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > surveying instruments > part of a surveying instrument > sight on a surveying instrument sight1559 vane1594 target1877 1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Target,..the sight, sliding on a leveling-staff. Also called a vane. 1900 H. M. Wilson Topogr. Surveying xv. 311 Leveling rods are of two general types: 1 Target rods; and 2 Speaking of self-reading rods. 1900 H. M. Wilson Topogr. Surveying xv. 313 The Boston [leveling] rod has a fixed target, and all readings upon it are obtained by extending the rod. d. A disc-shaped signal on a railway switch, etc., indicating its position. U.S. ΚΠ a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 Two targets, generally a round and an oblong one, and generally painted red and white respectively, are set at right angles to each other on a revolving shaft. a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 A common form of ordinary switches is an upright pivoted lever with target on top. Compounds C1. General attributive (sense 3). a. target-firing n. ΚΠ 1832 G. Downes Lett. from Continental Countries I. 138 A shooting-establishment, where target-firing is practised. target-practice n. ΚΠ 1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 288 The Surgeon, or Assistant-Surgeon, is to attend all Field Days, and invariably at Target-practice. 1902 Bible Student Oct. 198 They may safely tolerate attacks as the target practice of children. target-range n. ΚΠ 1895 Outing 26 79/1 The State owns two large target ranges which are also used as camp grounds. target seeking adj. ΚΠ 1947 Britannica Bk. of Year 841/2 Target-seeking missile, a missile, equipped with a target-seeking mechanism, which is attracted toward its target when it approaches its vicinity. 1977 Royal Air Force Yearbk. 4/2 (caption) A Harrier GR Mk 3..with laser-ranging and target-seeking equipment in the nose. target-shooting n. ΚΠ 1855 ‘G. Eliot’ in Fraser's Mag. 51 706/2 I will tell you of Weimar fairs and target-shooting. target-shot n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > shooter markman1562 marksman1641 markswoman1802 marker1820 shootist1864 target-shot1905 1905 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 646/2 It is foolish for an indifferent target-shot to go lion-hunting. b. target-like adj. target-proof adj. target-shaped adj. ΚΠ 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 200 The pedicle..supports a target-shaped substance. c. target-practise v. ΚΠ 1949 H. Preece in B. A. Botkin Treasury Southern Folklore ii. iv. 341 The rumbling underground is Britt Bailey target-practising for a million years of shooting in hell. 1982 Sunday Sun-Times (Chicago) 8 Aug. 9 A witness..allegedly saw Hartmann's widow, Debra, target practicing at a suburban gun shop. d. (Appositively) designating an object of attack. target-ship n. at Compounds 2. target area n. ΚΠ 1936 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 57 To prove that the target is a biological reality..the obvious experiment..is to use several different intensities of alpha rays and beta rays and to calculate the target area in each experiment. 1939 W. S. Churchill in New Statesman 7 Jan. 6/2 I think a great mistake has been made in spreading our A.R.P. efforts over the whole country, instead of concentrating on what I should call the target areas. 1958 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. (U.S. ed.) 77 Off the target, not connecting the opponent in the target area. 1980 J. McClure Blood of Englishman xxv. 232 ‘Target area coming up,’ he said, picking up the line of a wriggling dirt road... They were down to about 600 feet above the ground. target boat n. ΚΠ 1934 T. E. Lawrence Let. 8 June (1938) 805 At the moment we are all up to the teeth in 5 more target boats. target vehicle n. ΚΠ 1965 New Scientist 18 Mar. 701/2 The spacecraft will be manoeuvred by the pilots to approach the target vehicle closely, and finally to dock with it in a firm, mechanical manner. e. transferred, esp. of a particular group over which influence is sought. target audience n. ΚΠ 1956 U.S. Air Force Dict. 513/2 Target audience, in psychological warfare, the people at whom propaganda is directed. 1982 Underground Grammarian Sept. 2/2 In order to broaden the ‘target audience’ of your newsletter..I might suggest that such material be written at a lower level of readability. target company n. ΚΠ 1977 Time 17 Oct. 58/3 The firm that eventually acquires the target company. target group n. ΚΠ 1972 Times 13 Dec. 4/7 It made no discriminations among target groups. 1979 Bull. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. Mar. 33 The programs to be undertaken in reaching these target groups were to involve workers in both the public and private sectors of health, agriculture, and education. target population n. ΚΠ 1971 Computers & Humanities 5 292 SPIRES is based on a behavioral science analysis of the information needs of a target population. f. (In sense 3d.) target nucleus n. ΚΠ 1955 F. L. Friedman & V. F. Weisskopf in W. Pauli Niels Bohr & Devel. Physics 134 According to this model the effect of the target nucleus upon an incident particle can be described, at least as a first approximation, by an attractive potential. target volume n. ΚΠ 1946 D. E. Lea Actions of Radiations iii. 91 That dose..produces an average of one cluster in a volume equal to the target volume. g. (In sense 3f, passing into adjective) by which the desired goal is specified. target date n. ΚΠ 1945 W. S. Churchill Victory (1946) 108 Full hutting..is nearing completion, the target date for which is May. 1977 Whitaker's Almanack 595 The Rhodesia conference in Geneva became deadlocked when leaders of White and Black delegations failed to agree on a target date for legal independence. target figure n. ΚΠ 1978 J. Irving World according to Garp viii. 163 Roberta was a target figure; she had made some people very angry. target output n. ΚΠ 1944 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 27 Oct. 1943–11 Apr. 1944. 441 Once more the merchantship target output was achieved. target prize n. ΚΠ 1962 Economist 24 Mar. 1098/2 Target prices for off-farm dairy products..are pitched at a much lower level. target size n. ΚΠ 1966 Observer 17 Apr. 10/3 Is there any magic in the figure of 30—the target size for classes? C2. target-card n. see quot. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > archery > [noun] > scorecard target-card1875 transfer1909 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 378 [article Archery] Target-card, a card coloured in the same manner as the target, containing the names of the shooters, and used for scoring their respective hits. target cell n. Biology and Medicine an abnormal form of red blood cell which appears as a dark ring surrounding a dark central spot in stained blood films; hence target cell anaemia, descriptive of any anæmia in which target cells are abundant. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > components of blood > blood corpuscle or plate > [noun] > red cells or corpuscles globule1674 red corpuscle1747 red blood disc1835 red cell1843 red blood corpuscle1844 pneumocyte1872 poikilocyte1886 haematid1888 normoblast1889 polychromatic normoblast1899 normocyte1900 spherocyte1908 polychrome1909 siderocyte1915 reticulocyte1922 proerythroblast1927 target cell1938 acanthocyte1952 sideroblast1954 the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > disorders of red cells > abnormal red cell microcyte1876 megalocyte1886 macrocyte1889 megaloblast1890 gigantoblast1898 spherocyte1908 target cell1938 the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > deficiency of red cells > anaemia > types of ischemy1855 pernicious anaemia1874 ischaemia1878 Addison's anaemia1886 Addisonian pernicious anaemia1894 favism1903 Addisonian anaemia1904 hypoplastic anaemia1906 sickle cell anaemia1922 sicklemia1932 thalassaemia1932 Cooley's anaemia1934 Mediterranean disease1936 target cell anaemia1938 1938 A. M. Barrett in Jrnl. Pathol. & Bacteriol. 44 603 They will here be called ‘target types of red blood corpuscle’, or more briefly, ‘target corpuscles’. I have deliberately chosen a name which refers only to their appearance in stained films and not to their three-dimensional form.] 1938 A. M. Barrett in Jrnl. Pathol. & Bacteriol. 44 605 Often the frequency of target cells appeared to be affected by the thickness or thinness of the film. 1940 W. Dameshek in Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. CC. 445 Since an outstanding abnormality was the presence of large numbers of peculiar erythrocytes designated as ‘target cells’ by Barrett, the name ‘target cell anemia’ was adopted for this previously undescribed condition. 1969 G. M. Edington & H. M. Gilles Pathol. in Tropics x. 353 Excluding films obtained from persons homozygous or heterozygous for haemoglobin C, a high percentage of target cells in normal blood films has been observed in Ghana, Nigeria, and from East Africa. target dialect n. the variety of a language learned as a second dialect. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > a language > dialect > [noun] > other types of dialect rustic1841 idiolect1948 pachuco1948 target dialect1972 1972 J. L. Dillard Black Eng. vii. 293 The Network Standard dialect, for which both white and Black speakers have shown marked preferences, is obviously the preferable target dialect. † target-fence n. Obsolete a protective fence or covering formed by targets or shields; a testudo. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > compact formation > shield-wall or testudo pavisea1460 target-fence1598 pavisade1600 target-roof1601 pavisado1609 tortoiseshella1661 testudoa1680 tortoise1697 shield-wall1880 shield-hedge1892 shield-ring1892 1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xiii. ix. 191 Hauing deuided his armie into foure parts, he [Corbulo] lead some close and thicke ranked together, for a target fence to vndermine and beate downe the rampire. 1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures (1663) lxix. 280 The Elephants withall setting their Trunks to the target fences..tore them down in such sort, as not one of them remained entire. target indicator n. an object, as a flare, dropped in order to illuminate or delimit a target for aerial bombing. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > aircraft weapons or equipment > [noun] > target marker marker1936 sky-marker bomb1943 marker bomb1944 target indicator1944 1944 Times 11 Apr. 4/4 The attack began with the dropping of target-indicators through cloud. target-lamp n. Categories » target-lantern n. U.S. a lamp or lantern attached to a signal-target (see sense 4d), the function of which it discharges at night. target man n. †(a) a man armed with a target (obsolete); (b) U.S. a signal-man who works signalling targets: see sense 4d; (c) Association Football (see quot. 1978). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > armed man > man wearing armour > [noun] > man armed with shield targeter1382 paviserc1425 pavisec1500 target man1555 targeteera1593 targeman?17.. hypaspista1827 society > travel > rail travel > railway worker > [noun] > signalman signalman1836 target mana1884 towerman1895 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > player > types of marksman1927 marker1928 stopper1934 full back1958 sweeper1964 back four1966 libero1967 clogger1970 anchorman1974 target man1975 shadow1976 anchor1984 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde ii. i. f. 55 He browght furth al his target men for feare of theyr venemous arrowes. a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 Turned by the target~man by means of a hand-lever. 1974 Times 23 Feb. 14/8 Even eight, nine and ten-year-olds these days are taught by games masters in terms of ‘striker’, ‘target player’..and the rest.] 1975 Times 14 Oct. 10/2 (caption) Stuart Pearson, a target man with Manchester United. 1978 Sunday Times 28 May (Colour Suppl.) 34/4 Target man, forward, usually a large one, used in central positions where colleagues can find him with long passes, usually to his head. target organ n. Biology any organ which responds to a particular hormone or hormones in the body (cf. target tissue n. below). ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > hormone target target organ1947 target tissue1960 1947 H. Selye Textbk. Endocrinol. 17/1 The so-called ‘target organs’ or ‘end organs’ do not necessarily react to hormones under all conditions. 1972 Sci. Amer. Nov. 24/1 The pituitary secretes several complex hormones that travel through the bloodstream to target organs, notably the thyroid gland, the gonads and the cortex of the adrenal glands. target program n. Computing = object program n. at object n. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > software > [noun] > system or utility programmes > translator > result of translation object program1959 object code1961 object language1961 target program1969 1969 P. B. Jordain Condensed Computer Encycl. 516 The process begins with a source-language program..and ends with a target program. 1979 Personal Computer World Nov. 84/1 Any areas of data must be excluded from both and left intact as they are used by both the target program and the trace routine. target-rifle n. a rifle adapted to target-shooting. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > target-rifle match rifle1867 target-rifle1901 1901 Westm. Gaz. 23 Dec. 4/3 As a target-rifle the Lee-Metford is by no means in the front rank. † target-roof n. Obsolete a testudo (= target-fence n.). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > engine of war > [noun] > movable shed sow1297 mantel1357 snail1408 vinet1408 whelk1408 circlec1440 barbed-cat1489 mantle1489 mantlet1524 vine1565 tortoise1569 sow-guard1582 penthouse1600 penticle1600 target-roof1601 vinea1601 fence-roof1609 testudo1609 cat-house1614 vineyard1650 tortoiseshell1726 manta1829 cat1833 ram-house1850 tortoise-roof1855 bear1865 society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > compact formation > shield-wall or testudo pavisea1460 target-fence1598 pavisade1600 target-roof1601 pavisado1609 tortoiseshella1661 testudoa1680 tortoise1697 shield-wall1880 shield-hedge1892 shield-ring1892 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 189 The vse..of the pauois, mantelets, targuet~roofs, for the assault of cities. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 36 The Romanes with a Testudo, or targuet-roofe [printed targnet-roofe]..tooke the place. target-ship n. a condemned ship used as a target. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > weapon-training > firing practice > target target-ship1901 queen bee1935 1901 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 July 1 A target ship, on board of which every new type of armour was tested. target theory n. Biology and Medicine (see quots. and cf. sense 3e above). ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > theories > [noun] > other theories animalculism1845 target theory1936 1936 D. E. Lea et al. in Proc. Royal Soc. B. 120 62 That regions of special sensitivity to radiation do exist..has been demonstrated and the additional postulate of the target theory, namely that there is only one such region, in an individual organism, is not improbable for bacteria. 1979 I. M. Leahy et al. Nurse & Radiotherapy iii. 30 One theory that has proved to be applicable to radiation biology experimentation is known as target theory. Briefly stated, this theory proposes that if alterations are produced within certain critical molecules in the cell, the loss of vital function that would result would lead to the death of the cell. target tissue n. Biology any tissue which responds to a particular hormone or hormones within an organism (cf. target organ n. above). ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > substance > [noun] > other types of fibroin1861 micella1881 digest1918 bone-seeker1947 target tissue1960 biomineral1972 the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > hormone target target organ1947 target tissue1960 1960 Jensen & Jacobsen in Pincus & Vollmer. Biol. Activities Steroids iii. 162 Information concerning the chemical fate—in the specific target tissues—of physiological amounts of steroid sex hormones should prove of value. 1974 M. C. Gerald Pharmacol. xxiii. 409 Whereas growth hormone and thyroid hormone are capable of influencing virtually all the cells of the body, most hormones act rather selectively on specific tissues referred to as target tissues. 1975 Sci. Amer. July 94/1 Where trees are concerned one of the target tissues for auxin is the cambium. Draft additions 1993 A person who is the object of a security or espionage operation, esp. one kept under surveillance as a suspected spy. Originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > counter-espionage > [noun] > suspected person target1958 1958 R. I. Perusse in Daugherty & Janowitz Psychol. Warfare Casebk. ii. 34 The expressions..‘psychological operations’, and ‘target’ should..be avoided. US observers can vouch for the discomfiture of foreign peoples at being considered by us as a fitting subject for manipulation. 1972 D. Bloodworth Any Number can Play ix. 69 You have doubtless read about the..‘swallows’ of the KGB, the young ladies trained..to bed down intelligence targets, so that they can be comfortably and conveniently bugged and photographed in compromising..positions? 1982 J. Bingham Brock & Defector iii. 49 A target in love with an agent was okay, but an agent in love with a target was bad news. Draft additions January 2005 target-rich adj. originally U.S. Military having numerous sites regarded as potential targets for attack. ΚΠ 1978 Aviation Week 13 Mar. 167/2 Their ‘complex search, identification, arm and fire sequences..leave much to be desired when you are in a target-rich environment’. 2004 Time (Electronic ed.) 29 Mar. 26 Yes, New York City is more target rich,..but there's been a lot of added security there. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022). targetn.² Etymology: Etymology uncertain; Jamieson compares Swedish targa to tear.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtarget. Scottish. a. A tatter, a shred. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment > torn off > torn strip(s) stripping1601 targeta1774 rata1796 in ribbons1820 flinders1869 a1774 R. Fergusson Poems (1785) 177 The weight o' ilka codroch chiel, That does my skin to targets peel. 1789 D. Davidson Thoughts Seasons 120 Until her apron was sae stent, The strings in targets, flew. Categories » b. targets of skate, ‘long slices of this fish dried’ (Jamieson). This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online June 2019). targetv. Etymology: < target n.¹Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtarget. †1. transitive. To protect with or as with a target; to shield. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > protect or defend [verb (transitive)] shieldc825 frithc893 werea900 i-schield971 berghOE biwerec1000 grithc1000 witec1000 keepc1175 burghena1225 ward?c1225 hilla1240 warrantc1275 witiec1275 forhilla1300 umshadea1300 defendc1325 fendc1330 to hold in or to warrantc1330 bielda1350 warisha1375 succoura1387 defencea1398 shrouda1400 umbeshadow14.. shelvec1425 targec1430 protect?1435 obumber?1440 thorn1483 warrantise1490 charea1500 safeguard1501 heild?a1513 shend1530 warrant1530 shadow1548 fence1577 safekeep1588 bucklera1593 counterguard1594 save1595 tara1612 target1611 screenc1613 pre-arm1615 custodite1657 shelter1667 to guard against1725 cushion1836 enshield1855 mind1924 buffer1958 1611 G. H. tr. Anti-Coton 18 [He] targets himselfe with the authoritie of Siluester. 1686 F. Spence tr. A. Varillas Ἀνεκδοτα Ἑτερουιακα 337 The garrison of Florence..was not sufficient to ward and target it from insult. 2. To use (a person) as a target. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > aim at mete1598 rove1598 levy1618 mean1633 to cover (with a gun, pistol, etc.)1693 to draw a bead upon1831 target1837 sight1871 bead1888 the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > invective or abuse > abuse [verb (transitive)] vilea1300 rebutc1330 revilea1393 arunt1399 stainc1450 brawl1474 vituper1484 rebalk1501 to call (rarely to speak) (all) to naught1542 rattle1542 vituperate1542 bedaub1570 beray1576 bespurt1579 wring1581 misuse1583 caperclaw1589 abuse1592 rail1592 exagitate1593 to shoot atc1595 belabour1596 to scour one's mouth on1598 bespurtle1604 conviciate1604 scandala1616 delitigate1623 betongue1639 bespatter1644 rant1647 palt1648 opprobriatea1657 pelt1658 proscind1659 inveigh1670 clapperclaw1692 blackguard1767 philippize1804 drub1811 foul-mouth1822 bullyrag1823 target1837 barge1841 to light on ——1842 slang1844 villainize1857 slangwhang1880 slam-bang1888 vituperize1894 bad-mouth1941 slag1958 zing1962 to dump on (occasionally all over)1967 the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures > make object of attack target1837 the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > severely to be sharp upon1561 crossbite1571 scarify1582 canvass1590 maul1592 slasha1652 fib1665 to be severe on (or upon)1672 scalp1676 to pull to (or in) pieces1703 roast1710 to cut up1762 tomahawk1815 to blow sky-high1819 row1826 excoriate1833 scourge1835 target1837 slate1848 scathe1852 to take apart1880 soak1892 pan1908 burn1914 slam1916 sandbag1919 to put the blast on (someone)1929 to tear down1938 clobber1944 handbag1952 rip1961 monster1976 1837 Fraser's Mag. 16 244 If you doubt my word, load and target me again. 1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. iii. 90 To be targetted through..the..newspapers and executed afterwards in effigy. 3. U.S. To signal the position of (a railway switch, etc.) by means of a target (target n.¹ 4d). ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > [verb (transitive)] > direct or manage a railway engine > specific operations work1835 shunt1845 flag1856 slip1866 whistle1869 sidetrack1872 signal1888 switch1891 target1893 highball1905 plunge1923 1893 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 17 Nov. The crews of both trains claim to have had the crossing targeted. 4. To plan or schedule (something) to attain an objective. Chiefly in Economics. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] forethinkc897 bethinka1225 compass1297 contrivec1330 ordain1340 conjectc1380 imaginec1380 cast1382 ordaina1387 advisec1400 forecast1413 imagec1450 ordainc1450 project1477 foreminda1535 invent1539 aimc1540 practise1550 plat1556 trive1573 meditate1582 patterna1586 plot1589 platform1592 design1594 chew1600 forelay1605 to map out1618 to cut out1619 agitate1629 laya1631 plod1631 cut1645 calculate1654 concert1702 to scheme out1716 plan1718 model1725 to rough out1738 to lay out1741 plan1755 prethink1760 shape1823 programme1834 pre-plan1847 encompass1882 target1948 1948 Observer 14 Mar. 3/6 Even herrings have targets now: 175,000 tons of fish are being ‘targeted’ to yield 17,000 tons of oil a year. 1959 Time (Atlantic ed.) 17 Aug. 53 Exports of heavy goods..are targeted to rise this year some 40%. 1972 Newsweek 7 Aug. 43/3 With test flights now targeted for 1976, the Shuttle is expected to be ready for operational missions in 1978. 1973 Daily Tel. 8 Dec. 23/2 Investment income..is targeted to reach £1 million in two years. 5. To aim (a nuclear weapon) at a target. Frequently const. on. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (transitive)] > direct actions, speech, etc., towards fasteneOE turna1200 redressa1393 intend?1504 convert1533 level1576 terminate1599 style1608 colline1674 intent1695 beam1956 target1964 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use or wield (a weapon) [verb (transitive)] > use nuclear weapons against > aim nuclear weapon at target1964 1964 Financial Times 23 Mar. (Defence Suppl.) 17/4 The Soviet presence..comprises..a force of about 100 MRBMs targeted on Japan. 1972 Sci. Amer. Nov. 21/1 Each missile launches a ‘bus’, which has on board a large number of reentry missiles, each of which can be accurately and independently targeted. 1978 Observer 25 June 21/3 There were enough warheads to target some on China as well. in extended use.1973 Times 2 Nov. 4/2 The scheme is targeted at those wanting to buy an older property.1974 Nature 1 Mar. 1/1 Research money should be targeted on problems whose solution would have the greatest benefit for society.1983 New Scientist 21 July 208/1 Practical conservation can rarely preserve an entire fauna: rather it is targeted at particular species. 6. To mark out or identify (a place, person, etc.) as a target. Chiefly U.S. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (transitive)] > have as purpose or object followeOE studylOE turna1200 pursuea1382 purposec1384 to shoot atc1407 ensue1483 proponea1500 studyc1503 prick1545 tread1551 suit1560 to go for ——1568 to set (up) one's rest1572 expect1578 propose1584 propound1596 aima1616 scope1668 to set up1691 aim1821 to go in for1835 to be out for1887 to be flat out for1930 target1966 shoot1967 society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > target for attack target1966 1966 Guardian 30 Dec. 14/8 US policy is to target North Vietnamese military targets only. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. 5/1 He has no worlds left to conquer, for NCEC has captured all the ‘marginal’ conservative seats it had targeted. 1978 S. Brill Teamsters vii. 297 The airline industry was being targeted for a recruiting drive. 1983 Listener 25 Aug. 4/3 They've targeted 22 airlines for special treatment. 7. To direct or aim on a course. Frequently const. to. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > cause to move in a direction [verb (transitive)] steerc888 righteOE wisec1330 guy1362 makea1425 guide?a1505 to make forth1508 direct1526 to make out1560 bend1582 incline1597 work1667 usher1668 head1826 humour1847 vector1966 target1974 1974 Nature 1 Mar. 16/3 Temperature profiles of the moons of those planets will be helpful in targeting the spacecraft to take a look at the most interesting features. 1976 Sci. Amer. June 74/1 The second spacecraft will be targeted to fly past Saturn and on toward Uranus. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 21 Aug. 3/3 Then allocations are made with about one-third going to state governments and two-thirds to local governments, targeted to those jurisdictions with the highest unemployment. 1980 Sci. Amer. Aug. 88/2 Highly specialized transport systems that are in effect independent of the tissue through which they convey substances might be exploited as a means of ‘targeting’ therapeutic drugs for particular organs or tissues. 1981 New Scientist 6 Aug. 343/2 Later perhaps it will be possible to target liposomes or red cells..to whatever part of the body they are needed [sic]. Derivatives ˈtargeting n. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > directing something to end or purpose targeting1961 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > [noun] > aim or aiming level1548 targeting1961 1961 Guardian 24 Oct. 8/4 Being forced to rely on so much inspection..that targeting information would be given away to the other side. 1963 Newsweek 11 Feb. 23 Planners have recently put forward the notion of city-avoidance, a tacit agreement between potential enemies to arrange their targeting so that missiles are aimed at military objectives rather than civilian populations. 1968 Economist 8 June 65/2 A general complaint is that consultants sometimes stick too much to their business precepts, such as ‘targeting’ and do not bend enough to the particular needs of the company. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. 5/1 NCEC laid out $350,000 for candidates in 1976. That paid for 64 polls in 32 separate congressional districts and for computerized precinct targeting and analysis in more than 40 districts. 1977 Time 21 Nov. 24/2 None of these possess as sophisticated a targeting system as the new Soviet model's [sc. a T-72 tank]. 1982 Financial Times 13 Mar. 14/1 In terms of targeting ability. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online December 2019). < n.¹a1400n.²a1774v.1611
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targetn.1

Compounds

Draft additions 1993

Draft additions January 2005

targetn.2

targetv.

Derivatives

targetn.¹

targetn.²