petalism means A form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
PETALISM — [Noun] A form of political banishment in ancient Syracuse, where a citizen was exiled for a fixed term by a vote recorded on an olive leaf. From Hellenistic Ancient Greek πεταλισμός (petalismós), from πέταλον (pétalon, "leaf"), due to the use of olive leaves as ballots. Unlike "ostracism," its Athenian cousin conducted with the gritty permanence of potsherds, or "exile," which suggests a final, personal expulsion, petalism was a temperate, arboreal expulsion—a civic pruning. It was the faint scratch of a stylus on a veined surface, the rustle of a basket collecting verdant verdicts, and the silent, olive-scented shame of the condemned walking to the harbor under a temporary sun. A society that votes with leaves believes in seasons and the possibility of return.
noun
- A form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition.“Witnesse the Ostracisme amongst the Athenians, and the Petalisme among the Siracusans.”