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apostrophe

2 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. 1) apostrophe (noun)
  2. 2) apostrophe (noun)

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

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