target

Meaning

Noun

1. A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile.
2. A goal or objective.
3. An object of criticism or ridicule.
4. A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed.
5. A kind of shield:
6. (obsolete) A kind of shield:
7. A kind of shield:
8. The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark.
9. The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
10. A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
11. the number of runs that the side batting last needs to score in the final innings in order to win
12. The tenor of a metaphor.
13. The codomain of a function; the object at which a morphism points.
14. The translated version of a document, or the language into which translation occurs.
15. A person (or group of people) that a person or organization is trying to employ or to have as a customer, audience etc.
16. A thin cut; a slice; specifically, of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints.
17. (obsolete) A tassel or pendant.
18. (obsolete) A shred; a tatter.

Verb

1. To aim something, especially a weapon, at (a target).
2. To aim for as an audience or demographic.
3. To produce code suitable for.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtɑɹɡɪt/

Etymology

From Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe (“light shield”), from Old French, from Frankish *targa (“buckler”), akin to Old Norse targa (“small round shield”) (whence also Old English targe, targa (“shield”)) from Proto-Germanic *targǭ (“edge”), from Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (“fenced lot”). Akin to Old High German zarga (“side wall, rim”) (German Zarge (“frame”)), Spanish tarjeta (“card”).