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Ostracism

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    In ancient Athens (and some other cities), the temporary banishment by popular vote of a citizen considered dangerous to the state. countable, historical, uncountable

    "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: […]"

  2. 2
    the act of excluding someone from society by general consent wordnet
  3. 3
    Banishment by some general consent. countable, figuratively, uncountable

    "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 […]"

  4. 4
    the state of being banished or ostracized (excluded from society by general consent) wordnet
  5. 5
    Temporary exclusion from a community or society. countable, uncountable

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”).

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