ENGLISH
REFERENCE

apostrophe

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //əˈpɑstɹəˌfi// UK //ɐpˈɒstɹəfi// apos·tro·phe

n. a mark used in writing to show that something belongs to someone, or to show that letters are missing from a word. In botany, it is a small, sharp point on a leaf or stem.

n. a punctuation mark used to indicate possession or the omission of one or more letters. In botanical contexts, it refers to a small, sharp, pointed projection on a plant part.


CONTEXTUAL

The poet used an apostrophe to address the wind directly, treating it as a living character in the poem.

COMPLEX

While the apostrophe is primarily a grammatical marker, its use in botanical nomenclature to describe the morphology of plant structures is a specialized application of the term.

Etymology 1

From French apostrophe, or Latin apostrophus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστροφος (apóstrophos, “accent of elision”), a noun use of an adjective from ἀποστρέφω (apostréphō, “I turn away”), from ἀπό (apó, “away from”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).

Etymology 2

From Latin apostrophe, from Ancient Greek ἀποστροφή (apostrophḗ), from ἀποστρέφω (apostréphō, “I turn away”), from ἀπό (apó) + στρέφω (stréphō, “I turn”).

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