target
n. countablen. an object or goal you aim at when shooting or trying to achieve something. It can be a physical board for practice or a specific result you want to reach.
n. an object or mark fired at in archery, shooting, or similar sports; by extension, a goal or objective toward which effort is directed. Often used in technical contexts to describe the intended recipient of an action or process.
The archer hit the center of the target.
The sales team worked late every night to ensure they reached their monthly target before the deadline.
In translation studies, the target language is the one into which a text is being rendered, requiring the linguist to balance fidelity to the source with natural expression.
From Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe (“light shield”), from Old French, from Frankish targa (“buckler”), akin to Old Norse targa (“small round shield”) (whence also Old English targe, targa (“shield”)) from Proto-Germanic targǭ (“edge”), from Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (“fenced lot”). Akin to Old High German zarga (“side wall, rim”) (German Zarge (“frame”)), Spanish tarjeta (“card”).
Commonly used with verbs like 'hit', 'miss', 'reach', or 'set'.