ostracize
/ˈɔːstɹəˌsaɪz/AW-struh-syz
/ˈɔstɹəˌsaɪz/AW-struh-syz
Meaningto banish by potsherd
Common meaning: to shut out from a group
- ostraca potsherd; a shellLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1085 · scan
- izeverb ending: to make or do
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek ὄστρακον ‘a potsherd; a shell’.
Roots
- ὄστρακον Greek “a potsherd; a shell”
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