APOSTROPHE

I. 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 , apostrophic adjective II. noun Etymology: French & Late Latin; French, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos, from apostrophos turned away, from apostrephein Date: 1727 a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case, or the plural of letters or figures, apostrophic adjective