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/, adjectiveWords nearby apostrophe
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) +
-ē noun suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM apostrophe
ap·os·troph·ic [ap-uh-strof-ik, -stroh-fik] /ˌæp əˈstrɒf ɪk, -ˈstroʊ fɪk/, adjectiveExample 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), adjectiveWord 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).