Wiktionary

ostracism

English

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ὀστρακισμός (ostrakismós, “banishment by means of voting with pot shards”), from ὀστρακίζω (ostrakízō, “ostracize”) + -ισμός (-ismós, “-ism”), from ὄστρακον (óstrakon, “clay pot”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ostracism (countable and uncountable, plural ostracisms)

  1. (historical) In ancient Athens (and some other cities), the temporary banishment by popular vote of a citizen considered dangerous to the state. [from 16th c.]
    • 1579, Thomas North, Plutarch's Lives, volume 2, translation of original by Plutarch, published 1898, Themistocles, page 35:
      For this manner of banishment for a time, called ostracismos, was no punishment for any fault committed, but a mitigation and taking away of the envy of the people, which delighted to pluck down their stomacks that too much seemed to exceed in greatness: […]
    • 1588, Robert Greene, Perimedes the Blacke-smith. […], London: Printed by Iohn Wolfe, for Edward White, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] Payne Collier, editor, Perimedes the Blacke-smith (Miscellaneous Tracts Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I), [London: s.n., 1867?], →OCLC, page 13:
      Take the ſweete herbe called pleaſant content; with that make a perfume about your bed chamber and where you dyne: the ſavour of this is as ſure a repulſe to exile melancholie, as the oſtracisme was to the noble of Athens.
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 32, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
      Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.
  2. (figuratively) Banishment by some general consent. [from 17th c.]
    • 1602–1603, Lady Arbella Stuart, edited by Sara Jayne Steen, The Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1994, page 171:
      If I have deserved the land should spue me out, I will feed my selfe with the idle and windy conceite of an Ostracisme, and my unregarded poore selfe shall be all the richesse and commpany I crave to transport and if a Princes word […]
  3. Temporary exclusion from a community or society.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Anagrams

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French ostracisme.

Noun

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ostracism n (uncountable)

  1. ostracism

Declension

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singular only indefinite definite
nominative-accusative ostracism ostracismul
genitive-dative ostracism ostracismului
vocative ostracismule

Swedish

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Noun

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ostracism c

  1. ostracism

Declension

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Declension of ostracism
nominative genitive
singular indefinite ostracism ostracisms
definite ostracismen ostracismens
plural indefinite — —
definite — —

Synonyms

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References

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