ellipsis

[ ih-lip-sis ]

noun

, plural el·lip·ses [ih-, lip, -seez].

1. Grammar.
   1. the omission from a sentence or other construction of one or more words that would complete or clarify the construction, as the omission of who are, while I am, or while we are from I like to interview people sitting down.
   2. the omission of one or more items from a construction in order to avoid repeating the identical or equivalent items that are in a preceding or following construction, as the omission of been to Paris from the second clause of I've been to Paris, but they haven't.
2. Printing. a mark or marks as ——, …, or * * *, to indicate an omission or suppression of letters or words.

ellipsis

/ ɪˈlɪpsɪs /

noun

1. Also calledeclipsis omission of parts of a word or sentence
2. printing a sequence of three dots (…) indicating an omission in text

ellipsis

1. A punctuation mark (…) used most often within quotations to indicate that something has been left out. For example, if we leave out parts of the above definition, it can read: “A punctuation mark (…) used most often … to indicate….”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ellipsis¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin ellīpsis, from Greek élleipsis “omission,” from el- (variant of en- en- ² ) + leip-, stem of leípein “to leave” + -sis -sis

Word History and Origins

Origin of ellipsis¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek elleipsis omission, from elleipein to leave out, from leipein to leave

Example Sentences

Her sentences end not in periods but in ellipses.

From Los Angeles Times

“What we do on this show all the time is we look for ellipses in the mythology and then those become great opportunities to hopefully fill in the blanks,” McKay says.

From Los Angeles Times

These tiny ellipses, and Ben’s gentle solicitousness, are far more resonant than the thriller-style trickiness — including an actual explosion — that surrounds them.

From New York Times

The torqued ellipses, quite literally, shifted the axis of Serra’s career: from solid to space, from process to perception, from the artist’s actions to the viewer’s bodily experience.

From New York Times

Known by his colleagues as the “poet of iron,” Serra became world-renowned for his large-scale steel structures, such as monumental arcs, spirals and ellipses.

From Seattle Times