ostracon
or os·tra·kon
[ os-truh-kon ]
/ ˈɒs trəˌkɒn /
Save This Word!
noun, plural os·tra·ca [os-truh-kuh]. /ˈɒs trə kə/.
(in ancient Greece) a potsherd, especially one used as a ballot on which the name of a person voted to be ostracized was inscribed.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Origin of ostracon
1880–85; <Greek óstrakon;see ostracize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for ostracon
Here the papyri and ostraca have put a large material at our disposal, but the circumstances in Egypt3 4.
The ostraca, or rough notes of work accounts, and plans drawn on pieces of limestone or pottery.
British Dictionary definitions for ostracon
ostracon
/ (ˈɒstrəˌkɒn) /
noun
(in ancient Greece) a potsherd used for ostracizing
Word Origin for ostracon
from Greek
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012