Boycott
/ˈbɔɪˌkɒt/noun
To withdraw from or refuse to deal with a person, organization, or country as an act of protest.
Did you know?The word comes from Captain Charles Boycott, an Irish land agent ostracized in 1880 during the Land War, and his surname was so widely used for organized shunning that it became a verb in English.
Etymological Timeline
1880
English
boycott
“A campaign of organized social and economic refusal against a person or agent”
1880s
English
Boycott
“The surname of Charles Boycott, an Irish land agent”
Earlier surname
English
Boycott
“An English family name, likely from a place-name”
Old English / Old French roots
English
boia
“Related to a dwelling or hut in some place-name interpretations”
Modern English
English
boycott
“To refuse to buy, use, or deal with as protest”