scape-animal en · NOUN
Etymology
From scape + animal; modelled on scapegoat.
Meanings
-
An animal that has symbolically had human diseases and sins transferred to it and then is sent out alive into the wilderness to carry away the afflictions.
A very common one was to take an animal and, after various ceremonies, to sprinkle it with blood and let it loose as a scape-animal, carrying the disease away.
1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 32:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| scape-animals | Number=Plur | lexicographic |