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ostracism

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
13
Words With Friends
15
Letters
9
Pronunciation
/ˈɒstɹəsɪz(ə)m/ (UK)

Definition of ostracism

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (countable, historical, uncountable)In ancient Athens (and some other cities), the temporary banishment by popular vote of a citizen considered dangerous to the state.
    “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: […]”
    “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.”
    “Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.”
See all 3 definitions

noun

  1. (countable, historical, uncountable)In ancient Athens (and some other cities), the temporary banishment by popular vote of a citizen considered dangerous to the state.
    “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: […]”
    “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.”
    “Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.”
  2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)Banishment by some general consent.
    “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. (countable, uncountable)Temporary exclusion from a community or society.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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”).

Anagrams of ostracism

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