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apostrophe

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apostrophe

Main Entry:: ¹apos·tro·phe
Pronunciation:: \ə-ˈpäs-trə-(ˌ)fē\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Latin, from Greek apostrophē, literally, act of turning away, from apostrephein to turn away, from apo- + strephein to turn
Date:: 1533

: the addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically <Carlyle's “O Liberty, what things are done in thy name!” is an example of apostrophe>

— ap·os·troph·ic

Listen to the pronunciation of apostrophic

\ˌa-pə-ˈsträ-fik\ adjective

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