-psə̇s noun
( plural ellip·ses -pˌsēz)
Etymology: Greek elleipsis, literally, condition of falling short, defect, from elleipein to leave in, leave out, fall short (from el- — from en in — + leipein to leave) + -sis — more at in , loan
1. : ellipse
2.
[Latin, from Greek elleipsis ]
a.
(1) : omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete (as in “all had turned out as expected” for “all had turned out as had been expected”)
fine examples of Shakespearean compression and ellipsis — F.R.Leavis
a writer … whose very syntax is warm with the ellipsis of spoken speech — Robert Phelps
uses ellipsis for poetic and comic effects — Times Literary Supplement
(2) : an instance of such omission : a grammatical construction marked by ellipsis
the poem's striking ellipses offer no impediment to the reader's ear
a crisp spare style abounding in ellipses
(3) : the practice or use of ellipsis
a writer much given to ellipsis
b. : omission of an element (as from a train of thought or a speech) either fortuitously or for artistic effect : a leap or sudden passage without logical connectives, from one topic to another
a complicated recital … full of grunts and ellipses — Hamilton Basso
ellipsis of both syntax and sense — Robert Browning
3. : marks or a mark (as … or *** or ———) showing omission of letters, words, or other material — compare suspension periods