goad

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
goad /gəʊd/

▶verb

• 1 provoke to action or reaction.

• 2 drive with a spiked stick.

▶noun

• 1 a spiked stick to drive driving cattle.

• 2 a thing that stimulates someone into action.

– origin OE gād, of Gmc origin.