A hard stone or mineral formation found in goat-inhabited areas, or a stone historically believed to have medicinal properties related to goats.
From 'goat' (Old English 'gāt') + 'stone' (Old English 'stān'). The term combines the animal with stone, likely referring to either stones found where goats graze or stones used in folk medicine.
Medieval lapidaries (books about magical stones) included 'goat stones' supposedly from goat digestive systems—these were actually bezoars, which are real concretions that form inside animals and were genuinely valued in Renaissance medicine!
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