'ostracize' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ostrakizein', where 'ostrakon' meant 'potsherd' (a piece of broken pottery) used as a voting token in ancient Athens.

'ostracize' changed from the Late Latin/Medieval Latin and French forms (e.g., Latinized 'ostracizare' or Old French influences) and entered English as 'ostracize' in the 17th century, derived ultimately from Greek.

Initially, it meant 'to banish by voting using potsherds' (a formal political exile), but over time it evolved into the broader modern meaning 'to exclude or shun someone socially or formally.'