apostrophe

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun The superscript sign ( ' ) used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, or the plurals of numbers, letters, and abbreviations.
  2. noun The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition.

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Examples (15)

  • So, for example, in [[French language | French]], "l'armoire" means "the wardrobe", and is composed of "armoire" preceded by "la", which drops the "a" before another vowel: the apostrophe is there to acknowledge this. —  Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]
  • When the plural ends in s, only the apostrophe is added. —  Mandolin Cafe News
  • "Oh man, man, what for did ye leave us This apostrophe was addressed to the absent Winklemann One inch more, five minutes longer, and the flood would reach the bodies of the old couple. —  The Red Man's Revenge A Tale of The Red River Flood
  • Ah Ned, Ned, if you would but form your mind by such precepts, we should have but one common feeling on every subject that could possibly arise between us This apostrophe was addressed, like the rest of his remarks, to empty air: for Edward was not present, and the father was quite alone My Lord Chesterfield,' he said, pressing his hand tenderly upon the book as he laid it down, 'if I could but have profited by your genius soon enough to have formed my son on the model you have left to all wise fathers, both he and I would have been rich men. —  Barnaby Rudge: a tale of the Riots of 'eighty
  • The legatees asserted that the apostrophe was a blot, and therefore claimed two instead of one hundred thousand francs each Several misprints are always recurring, such as the mixture of the words Topography and Typography, and Biography with Bibliography. —  Literary Blunders
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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. French, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos, from apostrephein, to turn away : apo-, apo- + strephein, to turn; see streb(h)- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Late Latin apostrophē, from Greek, from apostrephein, to turn away; see apostrophe1.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also apostrophy = German apostrophe = French apostrophe = Spanish apostrofe = Portuguese apostrophe = Italian apostrofe, apostrofa, from Latin apostrophe, from Greek ἀποστροφή, a turning away, from ἀποστρέφειν, turn away, from ἀπό, away, + στρέφειν, turn. Cf. strophe.
  2. In form and pron. confused with apostrophe; properly *apostroph = German apostroph = Swedish Danish apostrof = French apostrophe = Spanish apóstrofo = Portuguese apostropho = Italian apostrofo, in English first in Late Latin form apostrophus, from Late Latin apostrophus, apostrophos, from Greek ἀπόστροφος, the apostrophe, properly adjective (sc. προσῳδία, accent), of turning away (elision), from ἀποστρέφειν, turn away: see apostrophe.
 

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/əˈpɑstrəfə/
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