Ellipsis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈlɪpsɪs/

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (elleipsis, "omission").

Full definition of ellipsis

Noun

1. (typography) A mark consisting of three periods, historically with spaces in between, before, and after them “ . . . â€, nowadays a single character “…” Ellipses are used to indicate that words have been omitted in a text or that they are missing or illegible.
• 2006, Danielle Corsetto, ''Girls with Slingshots: 114CARD: Hey Baby. Thanks for the … last night. Love you!HAZEL: Wow. I’ve never despised an ellipsis so much in my life.
2. (grammar, rhetoric) The omission of a grammatically required word or phrase that can be inferred.
3. (film) The omission of scenes in a film that do not advance the plot.
• 2002, David Blanke, ''The 1910s: 219It was now possible for writers and directors to cut scenes that did not further the plot; called "ellipses" by filmmakers.

Synonyms

• (typography indicating omission) dot dot dot