ellipsis

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The omission of a word or phrase necessary for a complete syntactical construction but not necessary for understanding.
2. n. An example of such omission.
3. n. A mark or series of marks ( . . . or * * * , for example) used in writing or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In grammar, omission; a figure of syntax by which a part of a sentence or phrase is used for the whole, by the omission of one or more words, leaving the full form to be understood or completed by the reader or hearer: as, “the heroic virtues I admire,” for “the heroic virtues which I admire”; “prythee, peace,” for “I pray thee, hold thy peace.”
2. n. In printing, a mark or marks, as—,* * *, …, denoting the omission or suppression of letters (as in k—g for king) or of words.
3. n. In geometry, an ellipse.

Wiktionary

1. n. typography A mark consisting of three periods, historically with spaces in between, before, and after them “ . . . ”, nowadays a single character “…” (used in printing to indicate an omission).
2. n. grammar, rhetoric The omission of a grammatically required word or phrase that can be inferred.
3. n. film The omission of scenes in a film that do not advance the plot.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Gram.) Omission; a figure of syntax, by which one or more words, which are obviously understood, are omitted.
2. n. (Geom.), obsolete An ellipse.
3. n. (Printing) a printing symbol, usually three periods in a row (…), indicating the omission of some part of a text; -- used commonly in quotations, so as to suppress words not essential to the meaning. A long dash (---) and three asterisks (* * *) are sometimes used with the same meaning.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences