petalism

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petalism

/ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/ UK

Where it comes from

From Middle French petalisme, and its source, Hellenistic Ancient Greek πεταλισμός (petalismós), from πέταλον (pétalon, “leaf”) (because the ballot for banishment was written on olive leaves). By surface analysis, petal + -ism.

noun petalisms

countable, historical, uncountable A form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.
Similar: discommendation, ostracization, shunning, avoidance, blackballing, blacklisting, ostracism, petalism, silent treatment

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MLA

"petalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/petalism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

petalism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/petalism

Chicago

"petalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/petalism.

BibTeX

@misc{petalism_2026,
  title = {petalism},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/petalism},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}