APOSTROPHE


Meaning of APOSTROPHE in English

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

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.