Apostrophe

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /əˈpÉ’s.trÉ™.fi/
• US IPA: /əˈpɑːs.trÉ™.fi/

From French apostrophe, or Latin apostrophus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστροφος (apostrophos, "accent of elision"), a noun use of an adjective from ἀποστρέφω (apostrephō, "I turn away").

Alternative forms

• apostrophë

Full definition of apostrophe

Noun

1. (orthography) The text character ’, that serves as a punctuation mark in various languages and as a diacritical mark in certain rare contexts.

Derived terms

• greengrocer's apostrophe

Related terms

Usage notes

In English, the apostrophe is used to mark the possessive or to show the omission of letters or numbers.

From Latin apostrophe, from Ancient Greek ἀποστροφή, from ἀποστρέφω ("I turn away"), from ἀπό + στρέφω ("I turn").

Noun

1. (rhetoric) A sudden exclamatory piece of dialogue addressed to someone or something, especially absent.

Derived terms

• apostrophically

Related terms

• catastrophe