'apostrophize' originates from Greek via Late Latin and French, specifically from the Greek word 'apostrophē' (ἀποστροφή), where the prefix 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'strophē' meant 'a turning'. The English verb was formed by adding the verbalizing suffix '-ize' to 'apostrophe'.

'apostrophize' was formed in English from the noun 'apostrophe' + the suffix '-ize' (from French/Latin/Greek verbal endings). The noun 'apostrophe' itself came into English via Latin 'apostrophus' and Old French from Greek 'apostrophē', and the verb appeared later as English developed verb-forming patterns using '-ize'.

Originally related to the Greek sense of 'turning away' (used for the punctuation mark and the rhetorical device of addressing the absent or abstract), the English verb came to mean both 'to address by apostrophe' (rhetorical) and 'to mark with an apostrophe' in writing; the modern uses reflect these related senses.