Definitions for ostracizeˈɒs trəˌsaɪz
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
os•tra•cizeˈɒs trəˌsaɪz(v.t.)-cized, -ciz•ing.
to exclude, by general consent, from society, privileges, etc.
to banish (a person) from his or her native country; expatriate.
(in ancient Greece) to banish (a citizen) temporarily by popular vote.
Category: Ancient History
Origin of ostracize:
1640–50; < Gk ostrakízein to banish by voting with potsherds =óstrak(on) potsherd, tile, ballot (akin to óstreionoyster, shell) +-izein-ize
os′tra•ciz`er(n.)
Princeton's WordNet
banish, ban, ostracize, ostracise, shun, cast out, blackball(verb)
expel from a community or group
ostracize, ostracise(verb)
avoid speaking to or dealing with
"Ever since I spoke up, my colleagues ostracize me"
Wiktionary
ostracize(Verb)
To exclude (a person) from society or from a community, by not communicating with them or by refusing to acknowledge their presence; to refuse to talk to or associate with; to shun.
Origin: From ὀστρακίζω, from ὄστρακον.
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