Meaning

noun a group's refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization in protest against its policies

verb refuse to sponsor; refuse to do business with

originFrom Middle English Boicote, probably from Old English Bōia cot (“Bōia's cottage”). The first element was a common Germanic name of obscure meaning, with parallels in Old Norse and Franconian dialects. Some proposed connections include bugan (“bent”), buan (“live”), or the root of modern bully.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0