Plural of goad: pointed sticks used to drive animals, or third-person singular verb meaning to urge or provoke someone.
From Old English 'gad,' a common word across Germanic languages referring to a pointed implement. The plural and verb forms emerged naturally from this base noun.
The word 'goad' has survived over a thousand years partly because it describes such a simple but effective tool—goads were essential technology before modern farming, and the word stuck around even as their use faded.
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