apostrophe

1
[ uh-pos-truh-fee ]
/ əˈpɒs trə fi /

noun

the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, whether unpronounced, as in o'er for over, or pronounced, as in gov't for government; to indicate the possessive case, as in man's; or to indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in several M.D.'s, 3's.

Origin of apostrophe

1
1580–90; < Middle French (with pronunciation later altered by confusion with apostrophe2), replacing earlier apostrophus < Late Latin (> Middle French) < Greek apóstrophos ( prosōidía) eliding (mark), literally, (mark) of turning away, verbid of apostréphein to turn away, equivalent to apo- apo- + stréphein to turn; see strophe

OTHER WORDS FROM apostrophe

ap·os·troph·ic [ap-uh-strof-ik, -stroh-fik] /ˌæp əˈstrɒf ɪk, -ˈstroʊ fɪk/, adjective

Definition for apostrophe (2 of 2)

apostrophe 2
[ uh-pos-truh-fee ]
/ əˈpɒs trə fi /

noun Rhetoric.

a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”

Origin of apostrophe

2
1525–35; < Late Latin < Greek apostrophḗ a turning away, equivalent to apostroph- (verbid of apostréphein; see apostrophe1) + noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM apostrophe

ap·os·troph·ic [ap-uh-strof-ik, -stroh-fik] /ˌæp əˈstrɒf ɪk, -ˈstroʊ fɪk/, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for apostrophe

British Dictionary definitions for apostrophe (1 of 2)

apostrophe 1
/ (əˈpɒstrəfɪ) /

noun

the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and twenty pounds' worth

Word Origin for apostrophe

C17: from Late Latin, from Greek apostrophos mark of elision, from apostrephein to turn away

British Dictionary definitions for apostrophe (2 of 2)

apostrophe 2
/ (əˈpɒstrəfɪ) /

noun

rhetoric a digression from a discourse, esp an address to an imaginary or absent person or a personification

Derived forms of apostrophe

apostrophic (ˌæpəˈstrɒfɪk), adjective

Word Origin for apostrophe

C16: from Latin apostrophē, from Greek: a turning away, digression

Cultural definitions for apostrophe

apostrophe
[ (uh-pos-truh-fee) ]

A mark (') used with a noun or pronoun to indicate possession (“the student's comment,” “the people's choice”) or in a contraction to show where letters have been left out (isn't, don't, we'll).