apostrophus
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 0.00 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The omission of a vowel or syllable from a word, usually indicated by the apostrophe symbol ( ' ). examples: 'til, can't
Archaic
noun
An open notehead ( ~ ) or an apostrophe ( ' ) used as a neume to mark a low, unaccented syllable at the beginning of a phrase or a short quick syllable
noun
The symbol 'Ↄ', used in Roman numerals to indicate multiplication by 10.
Example Sentences
- "Vowels suffer also this apostrophus before the consonant h."
- "Not that any examples are wanting to prove that the ancients did use the apostrophus in prose; for it was scarecely possible for them not to do so in many instances;"
- "Out of one word, the apostrophus is most usual in poesie;"
- "The apostrophus or mark of contraction, is the same with the comma, onely the difference is of place; for, this stands not in the line, but over the upper part thereof, where the contraction is:"
- "In the Greek, as in other languages, a short vowel at the end of a word before another vowel, is thrown out by elision, and the apostrophus ' is placed as a mark or sign over the empty space;"
- "This apocope is denoted by the apostrophus ( ' ),"
Etymology
From Latin apostrophus.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: apostrophus