field-goal

The compound 'field-goal' is a transparent formation in modern English, directly combining two common nouns to specify a type of scoring play. The word 'field' retains its ancient Germanic sense of an open expanse, here narrowed to the defined playing area of a sport. 'Goal', with its likely Old English roots relating to boundaries, evolved to signify an object or destination to be attained in games. In American football and basketball, the term logically denotes a successful attempt to send the ball to its designated target (the goal) from the general area of play (the field), as opposed to a score made from a set piece or from directly under the basket.

Structure: field (open land) + goal (objective) 'field' is from Old English 'feld' (open land, plain), of Germanic origin, used here to specify the area of play. 'goal' is of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English 'gāl' (boundary, limit), used here to denote the object or place one aims to reach.