Boycott

We all know that a boycott is "an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest"  (Wikipedia)


But the word "boycott" is quite recent and entered the English language during the Irish "Land War". It comes from the name of Charles Boycott, the land agent of an absentee landlord. He was subject to social ostracism organized by the Irish Land League in 1880 after he tried to evict eleven tenants from the land. Despite the difficult economical situation, all other tenants and employees refused to perform further work for him.