apostrophe

UK: /əˈpɒstrəfi/ US: /əˈpɑstrəfi/ ,(ə pos′trə fē)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

a•pos•tro•phe¹ /əˈpɑstrəfi/   n. [countable] the sign ('), used

1. to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, as in we'll for we will, or gov't for government.

a•pos•tro•phe² /əˈpɑstrəfi/   n. [countable]

1. Rhetoric a turning away while speaking in order to talk to someone not present, or to an object or idea that represents a person.

See -stroph-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

a•pos•tro•phe¹  (ə pos′trə fē), n. 

1. the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, whether unpronounced, as in o'er for over, or pronounced, as in gov't for government; to indicate the possessive case, as in man's;
   or to indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in several M.D.'s, 3's.

• Greek apóstrophos ( prosōidía) eliding (mark), literally, (mark) of turning away, verbid of apostréphein to turn away, equivalent. to apo- apo- + stréphein to turn; see strophe
• Late Latin (Middle French)
• Middle French (with pronunciation, pronounced later altered by confusion with apostrophe²), replacing earlier apostrophus
• 1580–90

ap•os•troph•ic  (ap′ə strof′ik, -strō′fik), adj. 
a•pos•tro•phe²  (ə pos′trə fē), n. [Rhet.]

1. Rhetoric a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as "O Death, where is thy sting?''

• Greek apostrophé̄ a turning away, equivalent. to apostroph- (verbid of apostréphein; see apostrophe¹) + -ē noun, nominal suffix
• Late Latin
• 1525–35;

ap•os•troph•ic  (ap′ə strof′ik, -strō′fik), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

apostrophe / əˈpɒstrəfɪ/ noun

1. the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and twenty pounds' worth

Etymology: 17th Century: from Late Latin, from Greek apostrophos mark of elision, from apostrephein to turn away

apostrophe / əˈpɒstrəfɪ/ noun

1. a digression from a discourse, esp an address to an imaginary or absent person or a personification

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin apostrophē, from Greek: a turning away, digression