Tar"get (?), n. [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of Teutonic origin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame, case, border, OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.] 1. A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.

2. (a) A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. (b) The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good target.

3. (Surveying) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.

4. (Railroad) A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.

Tar"get (?), n. 1. A thin cut; a slice; specif., of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints. [Eng.]

2. A tassel or pendent; also, a shred; tatter. [Obs. Scot.]

Tar"get (?), n. [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of Teutonic origin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame, case, border, OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.] 1. A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.

2. (a) A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. (b) The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good target.

3. (Surveying) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.

4. (Railroad) A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.

Tar"get (?), n. 1. A thin cut; a slice; specif., of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints. [Eng.]

2. A tassel or pendent; also, a shred; tatter. [Obs. Scot.]

• (Armor) Category:Armor A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.
       Quotations
       *1598: These four came all afront, and mainly thrust at me. I made me no more ado but took all their seven points in my target, thus. — William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part I, Act II, Scene IV, line 200.
  
• (Armor) (Obsolete) A shield resembling the Roman scutum. In modern usage, a smaller variety of shield is usually implied by this term.
       Quotations
       *1786: The target or buckler was carried by the heavy armed foot, it answered to the scutum of the Romans; its form was sometimes that of a rectangular parallelogram, but more commonly had it's bottom rounded off; it was generally convex, being curved in it's breadth. — Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 22.
  
• A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile.
  
• The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good target.
  
• (Surveying) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
  
• (Railroad) A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
  
• (cricket) the number of runs that the side batting last needs to score in the final innings in order to win
  
• To aim something (especially a weapon) at a target.