ostracism
English
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]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
[edit]Noun
[edit]ostracism (countable and uncountable, plural ostracisms)
- (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.
- (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 […]
- Temporary exclusion from a community or society.
Synonyms
[edit]- (exclusion): ostracization, shunning, petalism
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]in ancient Greece, the temporary banishment by popular vote
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banishment, exclusion from community
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See also
[edit]Anagrams
[edit]Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from French ostracisme.
Noun
[edit]ostracism n (uncountable)
Declension
[edit]| singular only | indefinite | definite |
|---|---|---|
| nominative-accusative | ostracism | ostracismul |
| genitive-dative | ostracism | ostracismului |
| vocative | ostracismule | |
Swedish
[edit]Noun
[edit]ostracism c
Declension
[edit]| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | ostracism | ostracisms |
| definite | ostracismen | ostracismens | |
| plural | indefinite | — | — |
| definite | — | — |
Synonyms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Ancient Greek
- English learned borrowings from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with historical senses
- English terms with quotations
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian uncountable nouns
- Romanian neuter nouns
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns