ostracism Hear it!

ostracism definition

os·tra·cism (ästrə siz′əm)

noun

  1. in ancient Greece, the temporary banishment of a citizen by popular vote
  2. a rejection or exclusion by general consent, as from a group or from acceptance by society

Etymology: Gr ostrakismos < ostrakizein: see ostracize

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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