Word of the Week

Boycott

A boycott is a concerted effort to refrain from buying from, selling to, or working for, some company or other organization. Some types of boycotts are illegal.

The term entered the language in 1880, thanks to Captain Charles Boycott, who was the estate agent for the Earl Erne in County Mayo, Ireland. The Earl's tenants demanded that Boycott reduce their rents and when he refused -- and began evicting tenants -- everyone in the locality agreed to stop dealing with him. Unable to find workers for the Earl's fields, or tradespeople from whom to purchase necessities, Captain Boycott eventually moved to England to pursue other opportunities, as they say. But his name had already become famous. By November 1880, the Times of London used "boycott" as a verb. The rest is history.