apostrophe
|a-pos-tro-phe|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɑːstrəfi/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɒstrəfi/
mark of omission / direct address
Etymology
'apostrophe' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apostrophē', where 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'strophē' meant 'a turning' or 'a turning away'.
'apostrophe' changed from Middle English word 'apostrofe' (via Old French) and eventually became the modern English word 'apostrophe'.
Initially, it meant 'a turning away' or 'elision', but over time it evolved into its current meanings of a punctuation mark indicating omission and a rhetorical address.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a punctuation mark (') used to indicate the omission of letters (as in contractions) or to show possession
An apostrophe indicates where letters have been omitted in a contraction, as in don't.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/22 11:00