apostrophe

¹

[ uh-pos-truh-fee ]

noun

1. the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, whether unpronounced, as in o'er for over, or pronounced, as in gov't for government; to indicate the possessive case, as in man's; or to indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in several M.D.'s, 3's.

apostrophe

²

[ uh-pos-truh-fee ]

noun

, Rhetoric.

1. a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”

apostrophe

¹

/ əˈpɒstrəfɪ /

noun

1. the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and twenty pounds' worth

apostrophe

²

/ əˈpɒstrəfɪ; ˌæpəˈstrɒfɪk /

noun

1. rhetoric a digression from a discourse, esp an address to an imaginary or absent person or a personification

apostrophe

1. A mark (') used with a noun or pronoun to indicate possession (“the student's comment,” “the people's choice”) or in a contraction to show where letters have been left out ( isn't , don't , we'll ).

Derived Forms

• apostrophic, adjective

Other Words From

• ap·os·troph·ic [ap-, uh, -, strof, -ik, -, stroh, -fik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of apostrophe¹

1580–90; < Middle French (with pronunciation later altered by confusion with apostrophe ² ), replacing earlier apostrophus < Late Latin (> Middle French ) < Greek apóstrophos ( prosōidía ) eliding (mark), literally, (mark) of turning away, verbid of apostréphein to turn away, equivalent to apo- apo- + stréphein to turn; strophe

Origin of apostrophe²

1525–35; < Late Latin < Greek apostrophḗ a turning away, equivalent to apostroph- (verbid of apostréphein; apostrophe ¹ ) + -ē noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of apostrophe¹

C17: from Late Latin, from Greek apostrophos mark of elision, from apostrephein to turn away

Origin of apostrophe²

C16: from Latin apostrophē, from Greek: a turning away, digression

Example Sentences

No Apostrophes: North Yorkshire moved to phase out apostrophes from its street signs.

From New York Times

The change, part of the North Yorkshire Council’s move to phase out apostrophes from its street signs, has elicited dissent in Harrogate, a Victorian spa town in northern England.

From New York Times

A local authority has announced it will ban apostrophes on street signs to avoid problems with computer systems.

From BBC

“And if you really put it together, just put an apostrophe between I, M and Possible, it’s I’m possible,” he added.

From Seattle Times

“Shouldn’t there be an apostrophe in that title?”

From New York Times

Related Words

• detour
• footnote