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Glite Dictionary
🪨 A writing fragment 🗳️ A voting piece
ostracon

ostracon

1 9.9
A pottery or stone piece used to write a name when voting to send someone away in ancient Greece
  • noun
  • /ˈɑstrəˌkɒn/
  • Specialized
: ostracón
  • The ostracon was a key tool in the democratic process, allowing citizens to vote on important matters.

Examples

  • In ancient Greece, voters used an ostracon to cast their ballots for exile.

  • So they had things like they had this thing called the ostracon, which where our word ostracism comes from.

  • During the election, each citizen received an ostracon to write the name of the person they wished to exile.

Synonyms

ballot
vsostracon
641 2.2

A paper that lists choices for voters to mark

is a pottery or stone token used in ancient Greece to vote for exile

Surface Forms

ostracon singular
ostraca plural

Etymology

Ostracon comes from the Greek ostrakon, meaning 'potsherd', because ancient Greeks wrote names on broken pots to vote to send someone away. So, an ostracon was the pottery ballot used for exile, and it is the root of the word ostracize (to exclude someone).