boycott
Meaning
to refuse to buy, use, or participate in something as a way of protesting.
an act of boycotting a person, organization, or country.
Usage
several countries decided to boycott the international conference in protest of the host nation's policies.
the consumer boycott against the company led to a significant drop in sales.
they organized a boycott of the store until it improved its labor practices.
Etymology
the term originates from the name of captain charles c. boycott, a british land agent in ireland during the 19th century. in 1880, the irish land league ostracized him for refusing to lower rents, leading to a campaign where tenants refused to work his land and local businesses denied him service. his surname was swiftly adopted into the english lexicon to describe this form of collective, non-violent protest and economic coercion. it is a classic example of an eponym, where a person's name becomes a word for a general concept based on a specific historical incident.
Analysis
this is a proper noun converted into a common verb and noun. it is not composed of classical morphemes and therefore cannot be segmented based on its english spelling.