apostrophe

¹apos·tro·phe

noun \ə-ˈpäs-trə-(ˌ)fē\

Definition of APOSTROPHE

: 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 \ˌa-pə-ˈsträ-fik\ adjective

Origin of APOSTROPHE

Latin, from Greek apostrophē, literally, act of turning away, from apostrephein to turn away, from apo- + strephein to turn

First Known Use: 1533

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

²apostrophe

noun

Definition of APOSTROPHE

: a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case, or the plural of letters or figures

— apostrophic adjective

Origin of APOSTROPHE

French & Late Latin; French, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos, from apostrophos turned away, from apostrephein

First Known Use: 1727

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile