ostrakon
[ os-truh-kon ]
/ ˈɒs trəˌkɒn /
noun, plural os·tra·ka [os-truh-kuh] /ˈɒs trə kə/.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Words nearby ostrakon
ostracism, ostracize, ostracod, ostracoderm, ostracon, ostrakon, ostranenie, ostrava, ostrich, ostrich fern, ostringer
Definition for ostrakon (2 of 2)
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.
Origin of ostracon
1880–85; < Greek óstrakon; see ostracize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for ostrakon
From ostrakon, a tile; the voter wrote the name on a tile or shell.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George WellsThen each voter received a shell (Greek, ostrakon), and dropped it into a place made for that purpose.
The Story of the Greeks|H. A. GuerberOne of their most interesting games, and one which you would all enjoy, was the twirling of the ostrakon.
British Dictionary definitions for ostrakon
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
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