Forms: α. 5 tergett, 5–7 targett, 4– target; β. 5–6 targat, 6 -gatt, tergat(e, -guette, Sc. tergatt, tarcat, 6–7 targuet. [dim. of TARGE sb.1: cf. F. targete, -ette, also 15–16th c. targuet(t)e, It. targhetta.
The actual history is uncertain, chiefly from the ambiguity of the spelling target. The current pronunciation with ‘hard g’ is carried back to 15th c. by the spelling targat (so in 16th c. -guet), but the early spelling target might be, which would have been the natural English diminutive of TARGE. In French also, the ordinary form was targete, targette; but, alongside of this, targuete, is cited of 1494, and -guette in 16th c. (possibly after Pr. targuetta or It. targhetta). It is possible that Eng. target had at first ‘soft g’ after targe and OF. target(t)e, but that this was at an early date changed to the present pronunciation with ‘hard g,’ after F. targuet(t)e, and the Prov. and Italian forms.]
1. A light round shield or buckler; a small targe. Also fig. Now chiefly Hist.
α. c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxi. 97. Þai bere a grete target, with whilk þai couer all þaire body.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 2622. Taches in-to targetis tamed þaire brenys.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 487/1. Ta(r)get, or defence,… scutum, ancile.
1483. Cath. Angl., 380/1. A Tergett, pelta.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 2. The kynges banner and courser, his coate of armes, his sworde, his target, and his helme.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., I. iv. (1821), 55. At whom hee discharged his Pistoll, which lighted upon his Targett.
1734. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 147. [The highlanders] carried great wooden targets, large enough to cover the upper part of their bodies.
1791. Boswell, Johnson, 17 Oct., an. 1773. He strutted about the room with a broad sword and target.
1869. Boutell, Arms & Arm., ix. (1874), 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[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 615/27. Targia, a targat, or a pavys.
1507. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., III. 394. To Simon Glasfurd buklarmakar, for hornyng of foure tergatis,… iij li. Ibid. (1508), IV. 121. Item, payit … for ane sicht of ane tarcat, thre lokkis to basnetis, xij bukkilles.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. vii. 146. The horrible tergate, bustuus Egida, Quhilk is the grevit Pallas grysly scheild.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 314. The image of the same Quintus made with his terguette.
1556. Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden), 93. Havyng their targattes on their sholderes.
† 2. A shield-shaped ornament or plaque of precious metal, often jeweled, worn esp. as a decoration in the head-dress. Sc. Obs.
1507. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., IV. 15. Tua targetis for bonetis hornyt with gold for bonetis.
1543. Inv. Roy. Wardrobe (1815), 68. Item ane bonet of blak velvott with ane tergat of the marmadin, hir taill of dyamonttis.
1556. Lauder, Tractate, 439. Nocht haueand respect … To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 368. He gaif hir great giftis of cheinzeis targattis and tablattis and ringis.
a. 1600[?]. Johnie Armstrong. Ther hang nine Targats at Johnys Hat, And ilk an worth Three hundred Pound.
† b. A piece of money: app. a scudo, an écu.
[Cf. med.L. scutum, scutatum a coin of the early French kings (Du Cange).]
1671. H. M., trans. Erasm. Colloq., 79. What price dost thou set upon thyself? At ten targets [orig. Decem scutatis].
3. Orig., A shield-like structure, marked with concentric circles, set up to be aimed at in shooting practice; hence, any object used for the purpose.
1757. E. Perronet, Mitre, I. cxxxix. 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. Strutt, Sports & Past., 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, Milit. Dict., Target,… a mark for the artillery, &c. to fire at in their practice.
1859. Musketry Instr., 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.
1872. Tyndall, Fragm. Sc. (1879), I. xvi. 423. In firing a ball against a target the projectile, after collision, is often found hot.
fig. 1900. Ld. Roberts, in Daily News, 27 July, 5/3. The enemy were strongly entrenched, fought stubbornly, and gave no target.
b. fig. Something aimed at or to be aimed at; esp. a person who is the object of general abuse, scorn, derision, or the like; = BUTT sb.4 5.
1757. [see 3].
1842. Tennyson, Locksley Hall, 146. 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.
1924. W. Macneile Dixon, Tragedy, x. 35. In comedy, by comparison, a Lilliput of lesser creatures, a parody as it were, of the greater art, to become merely the target of derision.
c. A shooting match; the score made at such a match.
1825. Sporting Mag., XVI. 426. A grand target of the Reedwood Foresters look place the middle of August at Blithfield.
1858. Greener, Gunnery, 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 G., 26 July, 8/2. The Artists’ team have made a magnificent target, and are scarcely likely to be beaten.
4. Applied to various objects resembling a target or shield. † a. A cymbal. Obs.
1696. trans. Du Mont’s 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.
1756. Gray, Lett. to W. Mason, 19 Dec. Lord Surrey loved buttered lyng and targets of mutton for breakfast.
1872. Mary Jewry, Every-day Cookery, 72/2. Roast Target of Lamb. Ibid. Target is only the breast and neck joints not separated.
c. The sliding sight on a levelling staff; a vane.
d. A disk-shaped signal on a railway switch, etc., indicating its position. U. S.
1877. Knight, Dict. Mech., Target,… the sight, sliding on a leveling-staff. Also called a vane. Ibid. (1884), 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. Ibid. A common form of ordinary switches is an upright pivoted lever, with target on top.
1900. H. M. Wilson, Topogr. Surveying, xv. 311. Leveling rods are of two general types: 1 Target rods; and 2 Speaking or self-reading rods. Ibid., 313. The Boston [leveling] rod has a fixed target, and all readings upon it are obtained by extending the rod.
5. attrib. and Comb., as target-firing, -practice, -range, -shooting, -shot; targel-like, -proof, -shaped adjs.; target-card: see quot.; † target-fence, a protective fence or covering formed by targets or shields; a testudo; target-lamp, -lantern, U. S., a lamp or lantern attached to a signal-target (see sense 4 d), the function of which it discharges at night; target-man, † (a) a man armed with a target (obs.); (b) U. S. a signal-man who works signalling targets: see sense 4 d; target-rifle, a rifle adapted to target-shooting; † target-roof, a testudo (= target-fence); target-ship, a condemned ship used as a target.
1875. Encycl. Brit., II. 378 (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.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus, Ann. XIII. ix. (1622), 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, trans. Pinto’s Trav., lxix. (1663), 280. The Elephants withall setting their Trunks to the target fences … tore them down in such sort, as not one of them remained entire.
1832. G. Downes, Lett. Conf. Countries, I. 138. A shooting-establishment, where *target-firing is practised.
1555. Eden, Decades, 55. He browght furth al his *target men for feare of theyr venemous arrowes.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl., s.v. Signaling Target, Turned by the target-man by means of a hand-lever.
1844. Regul. & Ord. Army, 283. 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.
1895. Outing (U.S.), XXVI. 79/1. The State owns two large *target ranges which are also used as camp grounds.
1901. Westm. Gaz., 23 Dec., 4/3. As a *target-rifle the Lee-Metford is by no means in the front rank.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 189. The vse … of the pauois, mantelets, *targuet-roofs, for the assault of cities. Ibid. (1610), Camden’s Brit., I. 36. The Romans with a Testudo, or targuet-roofe … tooke the place.
1837. P. Keith, Bot. Lex., 200. The pedicle … supports *target-shaped substance.
1901. Pall Mall G., 23 July, 1. A *target ship, on board of which every new type of armour was tested.
1905. Blackw. Mag., May, 646/2. It is foolish for an indifferent *target-shot to go lion-hunting.
