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The domestic goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bovidae and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over 300 distinct breeds of goat.〔Hirst, K. Kris. ("The History of the Domestication of Goats". ) ''About.com''. Accessed August 18, 2008.〕 Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species, and have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world.〔Coffey, Linda, Margo Hale, and Ann Wells; ("Goats: Sustainable Production Overview. )〕 In 2011, there were more than 924 million live goats around the globe, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Female goats are referred to as "does" or "nannies", intact males as "bucks", "billies", or "rams" and their offspring are "kids". Castrated males are "wethers". Goat meat from younger animals is called "kid" or ''cabrito'' (Spanish), and from older animals is simply known as "goat" or sometimes called ''chevon'' (French), or in some areas "mutton" (which more often refers to adult sheep meat). == Etymology == The Modern English word ''goat'' comes from Old English ''gāt'' "she-goat, goat in general", which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *''gaitaz'' (cf. Dutch/Icelandic ''geit'', German ''Geiß'', and Gothic ''gaits''), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European '' *ǵʰaidos'' meaning "young goat" (cf. Latin ''haedus'' "kid"),〔Calvert Watkins et al., ''The American Heritage Dictionary'' (1975, edited by William Morris).〕 itself perhaps from a root meaning "jump" (assuming that Old Church Slavonic ''zajęcǐ'' "hare", Sanskrit ''jihīte'' "he moves" are related). To refer to the male, Old English used ''bucca'' (giving modern ''buck'') until ousted by ''hegote'', ''hegoote'' in the late 12th century. ''Nanny goat'' (females) originated in the 18th century and ''billy goat'' (for males) in the 19th. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Goat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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