Goal

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɡəʊl/

Definitions

1. A desired result or outcome that one aims to achieve through effort and planning
2. An objective or target that an individual strives to attain through purposeful action and determination
3. A result or aim that motivates personal effort and planning towards accomplishment

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "goal" is that its earliest English sense was a physical boundary rather than an aim. Middle English "gol" meant a limit or boundary, and it traces back to Old English roots meaning an obstacle or barrier. The idea of a finish line or a marker you move toward seems to have grown out of that sense of a fixed limit at the far end of a race or contest. The word's older relatives point in a more awkward direction. Old English had "gǣlan," meaning to hinder or delay, and "hyġegǣls," describing someone hesitating or sluggish. So the same root that gave English a boundary also gave it the notion of being held back. A goal, in this older picture, is the place where you stop or are stopped. Its connection to other languages is less certain. Lithuanian "gãlas" and Latvian "gals" both mean "end," and some scholars have linked them, though the relationship is possible rather than proven.

Synonyms: objective, aim, target, purpose, intention

Antonyms: failure, aimlessness, unintended