• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Word “Boycott” Mean, How Did the Term Originate, and Who is it Named After?

What Does the Word “Boycott” Mean, How Did the Term Originate, and Who is it Named After?

April 21, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word boycott, meaning to ostracize an oppressor, originated in Ireland in the late nineteenth century.

As punishment for falling behind in rent, poor tenant farmers in County Mayo were being tossed from their homes by Captain Charles Boycott, who was acting as the agent of an absentee English landlord.

The tenants eventually forced Boycott’s downfall by refusing to take in the harvest, making the repossessed land useless to its English owner.

A reaction of coercion and punishment is known as a “boycott”.

Related Facts

  • Where does the term “boycott” come from and What does boycott mean?
  • The History of the Dictionary
  • How successful was the Montgomery bus boycott in the 1950s?
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • How was the Montgomery bus boycott the first time a bus company had been boycotted for segregation?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Word “Bonfire” Come From and Why is a Large Controlled Fire Called a Bonfire?
Next Post: Where Did the Word “Tarmac” Come From and How Did the Term For Asphalt Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy