a|pos|tro|phe

a|pos|tro|phe¹ «uh POS truh fee», noun.

a sign of punctuation used:

1. to show the omission of one or more letters in the spelling of contractions, as in can't for cannot and o'er for over.

2. to show the possessive forms of nouns or indefinite pronouns, as in John's book, the lions' den, and everybody's business.

3. to write the plurals of figures, letters of the alphabet, and words discussed as words: »

There are two o's in apology and four 9's in 959,990.

4. to show that certain sounds represented in the usual spelling have not been spoken, as in 'lectric for electric.

╂[< French apostrophe, learned borrowing from Late Latin apostrophus < Greek apóstrophos (prosōidiā) omission (mark) < apo- away + stréphein turn]

a|pos|tro|phe² «uh POS truh fee», noun.

a speech to someone absent or dead as if he were present; words addressed to a lifeless thing or an idea as if it could hear or reply.

╂[< Late Latin apostrophē < Greek apostrophê < apo- away from + stréphein turn]