Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

petalism

/ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: petal-ism
IPA: /ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans."
"They've identified a reference to the ancient Syracusian practice of banishment known as petalism, and what may or may not be a reference to efilism, a branch of the antinatalist philosophical position advanced by Schopenhauer, but what any of that has to do with the lyrics' subsequent allusions to Moby-Dick seems pretty open to question."

Etymology

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.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/

Usage

Inflected Forms

petalisms (plural)

Synonyms

discommendation ostracization shunning avoidance blackballing blacklisting ostracism petalism silent treatment

Questions

How do you pronounce petalism?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/.
What does petalism mean?: A form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition.
Where does petalism come 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.

How to pronounce petalism

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