scapegoat • \SKAYP-goat\ • noun

hear it again hear it again

1 : a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur

2 *a : one that bears the blame for others b : one that is the object of irrational hostility

Example sentence:
The financial advisor was a convenient scapegoat for some of the ill-fated business ventures that the company has undertaken over the years.

Etymology:
The history of "scapegoat" is based on a linguistic misunderstanding. On Yom Kippur, the ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat for the Lord and lead another one into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people. The ceremony is described in Leviticus, where it is said that one lot shall be cast for the Lord and one for "Azazel." Modern scholars usually interpret "Azazel" as being the name of a demon living in the desert. But ancient biblical translators thought "Azazel" referred to the goat itself, apparently confusing it with the Hebrew phrase "‘ez ‘ozel," meaning "goat that departs." The mistranslation was carried through Greek and Latin into a 16th-century English translation, where the goat was rendered as "scapegoat"; that is, "goat that escapes."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

--