apostrophe
/əˈpɒstɹəˌfi/uh-PO-struh-fee
/əˈpɑstɹəˌfi/uh-PAH-struh-fee
Meaninga turning away
Common meaning: a mark for omission or possession
- apoGreek: away, off
- strophto turnLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1438 · scan
‘away, off’ + ‘to turn’ → apostrophe
Journey through time
- Greekστρέφω‘to turn’
- Latinform
- Englishapostrophe‘a mark for omission or possession’ · today
apo- also in: apocopeapostleapoplexyapocalypseapothecary
stroph also in: catastrophe
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek στρέφω ‘to turn’.
Roots
- στρέφω Greek “to turn”
Related words
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