apostrophic
|a-pos-tro-phic|
🇺🇸
/ˌæpəˈstrɑfɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæpəˈstrɒfɪk/
relating to an apostrophe / direct address
Etymology
'apostrophic' originates from New Latin/English formation, built from 'apostrophe' + the adjectival suffix '-ic', where the suffix '-ic' meant 'pertaining to'.
'apostrophe' entered English via Old French 'apostrophe' and Latin 'apostrophus', ultimately from Greek 'apostrophē' (ἀποστροφή), where 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'strephein' meant 'to turn'. The adjective 'apostrophic' is a later formation attaching '-ic' to the noun.
Initially the root sense involved 'a turning away' (Greek), then came to denote the specific rhetorical figure and the punctuation mark; over time the derived adjective came to mean 'relating to the punctuation mark' or 'relating to the rhetorical device'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or marked by an apostrophe (the punctuation mark used for omission or possession).
The editor noted an apostrophic omission in the contraction that needed correction.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
of or relating to apostrophe as a rhetorical device: addressing an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object directly.
The drama contained several apostrophic lines in which the hero spoke to the silent sea.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/22 11:42