ostracize (OS-truh-syz) verb tr.

   To exclude or shun from a group.

[From Greek ostrakizein, from ostrakon (shell or potsherd), from the fact
that in ancient Greece these were used as ballots in voting to banish 
someone. Ultimately from Indo-European root ost- (bone) that gave birth
to such words as oyster, osteopathy, ossify, and Sanskrit asthi (bone).]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=ostracize

  "He (Lloyd Anderson) did endure gender prejudices during his career,
   including being ostracized by older female nurses who felt men did
   not belong in their profession."
   Man Broke Barriers As Male Nurse; The Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan);
   Oct 6, 2004.

  "Some responses said: 'A child given such a name would likely be
   bullied or ostracized,' or 'It would cause social problems.'"
   In Japan, You Can't Name Your Kid 'Mistress' or 'Piles';
   The Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo, Japan); Sep 28, 2004.

This week's theme: words from politics and elections.

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writer and activist (1961- )

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/ostracize.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/ostracize.ram

Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/ostracize.html

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