Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Ostracize"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Ostracize \Os"tra*cize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ostracized}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Ostracizing}.] [Gr. ?, fr. ? a tile, a tablet
used in voting, a shell; cf. ? oyster, ? bone. Cf. {Osseous},
{Oyster}.]
1. (Gr. Antiq.) To exile by ostracism; to banish by a popular
vote, as at Athens. --Grote.
2. To banish from society; to put under the ban; to cast out
from social, political, or private favor; as, he was
ostracized by his former friends. --Marvell.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
ostracize
v 1: expel from a community or group [syn: {banish}, {ban}, {ostracise},
{shun}, {cast out}, {blackball}]
2: avoid speaking to or dealing with; "Ever since I spoke up,
my colleagues ostracize me" [syn: {ostracise}]
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