n.
The superscript sign ( ' ) used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, or the plurals of numbers, letters, and abbreviations.
[French, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos, from apostrephein, to turn away : apo-, apo- + strephein, to turn.]
apostrophic ap'os·troph'ic (ăp'ə-strŏf'ĭk) adj.a·pos·tro·phe2 (ə-pŏs'trə-fē)
n.
The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition.
[Late Latin apostrophē, from Greek, from apostrephein, to turn away. See apostrophe1.]
apostrophic ap'os·troph'ic (ăp'ə-strŏf'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
