I. ə-ˈpäs-trə-(ˌ)fē 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 ˌa-pə-ˈsträ-fik 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