The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Target \Tar"get\, n. [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of
   Teutonic origin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame,
   case, border, OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.]
   1. A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive
      weapon in war.
      [1913 Webster]

   2.
      (a) A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to
          test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a
          projectile.
      (b) The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by
          a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good
          target.
          [1913 Webster]

   3. (Surveying) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling
      staff.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Railroad) A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever
      to show its position, or for use as a signal.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. A thin cut; a slice; specif., of lamb, a piece consisting
      of the neck and breast joints. [Eng.]
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   6. A tassel or pendent; also, a shred; tatter. [Obs. Scot.]
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   7. A goal for an activity; as, the target of this year's
      fundraising drive is 2 million dollars.
      [PJC]

   8. A metallic object toward which a beam of electrons is
      aimed in a tube designed to generate X-rays; when the
      electrons strike the target, the impact causes emission of
      X-rays.
      [PJC]

   9. Any object toward which a beam of photons, a laser beam,
      an electron beam, or a beam of atomic or subatomic
      particles is aimed.
      [PJC]

   10. A person who is the subject of criticism or ridicule.
       [PJC]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

target
    n 1: a reference point to shoot at; "his arrow hit the mark"
         [syn: target, mark]
    2: a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of
       ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or
       influence; "he fell prey to muggers"; "everyone was fair
       game"; "the target of a manhunt" [syn: prey, quarry,
       target, fair game]
    3: the location of the target that is to be hit [syn: target,
       target area]
    4: sports equipment consisting of an object set up for a
       marksman or archer to aim at [syn: target, butt]
    5: the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be
       attainable); "the sole object of her trip was to see her
       children" [syn: aim, object, objective, target]
    v 1: intend (something) to move towards a certain goal; "He
         aimed his fists towards his opponent's face"; "criticism
         directed at her superior"; "direct your anger towards
         others, not towards yourself" [syn: target, aim,
         place, direct, point]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):

SCSI target
target

    A SCSI device that executes a command from a
   SCSI initiator to perform some task.  Typically the target
   is a SCSI peripheral device but the host adapter can also be
   a target.

   (1999-02-10)