ostracon

or os·tra·kon

[ os-truh-kon ]

/ ˈɒs trəˌkɒn /

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.

Nearby words

ostpreussen, ostracism, ostracize, ostracod, ostracoderm, ostracon, ostrakon, ostranenie, ostrava, ostrich, ostrich fern

Origin of ostracon

1880–85; < Greek óstrakon; see ostracize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ostraca

Here the papyri and ostraca have put a large material at our disposal, but the circumstances in Egypt3 4.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2|Various
The ostraca, or rough notes of work accounts, and plans drawn on pieces of limestone or pottery.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ostraca

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