Target

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈtɑːɡɪt/

Definitions

1. An objective or goal that someone aims to achieve, or an object marked with concentric circles at which projectiles are fired for practice or sport
2. A specific aim or goal that one strives to accomplish, as well as a designated object or surface upon which projectiles are directed during practice or competition
3. A goal or objective pursued by an individual, alongside a physical object marked for accuracy in shooting sports or archery

Etymology: The word began as a small shield. Its ancestor, Middle French "targette", was a diminutive of "targe", a light shield, and that shield came into French from Old French, where it had been borrowed from a Frankish word, "targa", meaning buckler. Old Norse and Old English carried the same shield name, so the sense of protection was once literal and physical. The Proto-Germanic root behind "targa" meant "edge", and it is related to German "Zarge", a frame or rim. A shield, then, was thought of as something defined by its edge, a round boundary held in the hand. The sense of a marked mark or limit links the object to the modern meaning, since a target is something you aim at within a set boundary. Fittingly, the same root connects to Spanish "tarjeta", meaning card, a flat rectangular piece of stiff material. The shield and the card share a distant ancestor in the idea of a bordered, flat thing.

Synonyms: goal, objective, aim, mark, destination

Antonyms: miss, failure, loss, avoidance, neglect