Shunning
/ˈʃʌnɪŋ/noun
The act of deliberately avoiding or rejecting someone or something.
Did you know?English shun comes from Old English *scunian*, meaning “to abhor, shrink from,” and it’s part of an old Germanic family tied to the instinct of turning away in disgust or fear.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skūnōjaną
“to avoid, shrink from”
Old English
OE
scūnian / scunian
“to abhor, recoil from, avoid”
Middle English
ME
shunen / shunen
“to avoid, loathe, shun”
Early Modern English
English
shun
“to deliberately avoid or keep away from”
Modern English
English
shunning
“the act or practice of deliberately avoiding someone or something”