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Brit. /fmks/, U.S. /frmks/, /frmks/ Plural pharmakoi. [< ancient Greek scapegoat < medicine (see PHARMACO- comb. form), with alteration of accent and gender: the scapegoat representing a personified remedy.]
A scapegoat; spec. one chosen in ancient Greece to atone for a crime or misfortune.
1903 J. E. HARRISON Proleg. Study Greek Relig. iii. 104 The pharmakos is killed then, not because his death is a vicarious sacrifice, but because he is so infected and tabooed that his life is a practical impossibility. 1923 A. LE MARCHANT Greek Relig. to Time of Hesiod iv. 25 A ceremony in which two men called Pharmakoi, decked with branches, were led out of the city. 1957 N. FRYE Anat. Crit. 41 The figure of a typical or random victim begins to crystallize in domestic tragedy as it deepens in ironic tone. We may call this typical victim the pharmakos or scapegoat. 1997 Shakespeare Q. 48 502 In order for the pharmakoi to be fully effective, steps must be taken to ensure that the dead stay put, preferably not in one piece.
Posted by pharmakos at January 12, 2006 05:29 AM