petalism

P3E1T1A1L1I1S1M3
UK/ˈpɛtəlɪz(ə)m/

noun

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

Similar
discommendationostracizationshunningavoidanceblackballingblacklistingostracismsilent treatment
OriginMiddle French petalisme ← Ancient Greek πεταλισμός →
First used 17th c.Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounpetalism (countable and uncountable, plural petalisms)

plural petalisms

  1. countablehistoricaluncountableA form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition.First known use 17th c.

    Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.

    1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 32, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
    1 more example

    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.

    2014 July 24, Alexis Petridis, “Shabazz Palaces: Lese Majesty review – spectacular, way-out hip-hop”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 25 Jul 2014

    Synonyms: discommendation, ostracization, shunning, avoidance, blackballing, blacklisting, discommendation, ostracism

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar
discommendationostracizationshunningavoidanceblackballingblacklistingdiscommendationostracismostracizationshunningsilent treatment
Also see
avoidanceblackballingblacklistingostracismostracizationshunningsilent treatment

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπεταλισμός
  2. Middle Frenchpetalisme
  3. Englishpetalism

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.

More words from Middle French, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

palmisteseptimalmisplate
Cite this entry
APA

petalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petalism

MLA

“petalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petalism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petalism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petalism.

Source: petalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.