apostrophus

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From Latin apostrophus.

apostrophus (plural apostrophi)

1. (archaic) The omission of a vowel or syllable from a word, usually indicated by the apostrophe symbol ( ' ). examples: 'til, can't
   • 1640, Ben Jonson, The English Grammar: Book 2: Of Syntax:

     Vowels suffer also this apostrophus before the consonant h.

   • 1824, August Matthiä, Copious Greek Grammar - Volume 1, page xxxvi:

     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;

   • 1865, Alexander Hume, Henry Benjamin Wheatley, Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue:

     Out of one word, the apostrophus is most usual in poesie;

2. (archaic) The apostrophe symbol used to mark this elision.
   • 1644, Richard Hodges, The English Primrose:

     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:

   • 1833, Philipp Buttmann, Edmund Henry Barker, Dr. Philip Buttmann's Intermediate Or Larger Greek Grammar, page 46:

     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;

   • 1842, George Knox Gillespie, The Formative Greek Grammar, page 4:

     This apocope is denoted by the apostrophus ( ' ),

3. (music, historical) 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
   • 1598, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost:

     You find not the apostrophus, and so miss the accent. Let me supervise the canzonet.

   • 2009, Iain Fenlon, Early Music History, page 66:

     In the early Graduals Benevento VI. 38 and 40, the apostrophus is common in syllabic passages in sequences, tropes and prosulae.

   • 2010, Rebecca Maloy, Inside the Offertory: Aspects of Chronology and Transmission, page iv:

     In transcriptions from Ben 34, I have not distinguished the apostrophus from regular notes.

   • 2017, John Boe, Chant and Notation in South Italy and Rome before 1300, page 66:

     The early Beneventan apostrophus was optional, instructive and exemplary, suggesting low, quick, unaccented syllables at the start of a phrase (sometimes implying a preceding breath) in the Gregorian Mass Propers and short or quick syllables in tropes, prosulae and sequences.

4. The symbol 'Ɔ', used in Roman numerals to indicate multiplication by 10.
   • 1862, Richard Hiley, The Elements of Latin Grammar, page 26:

     In every multiplication with ten a fresh apostrophus is added; thus IƆƆ = 5000, IƆƆƆ = 50,000.

   • 1878, Ethan Allen Andrews, Grammar of the Latin Language, page 72:

     The annexing of the apostrophus or inverted C (Ɔ) to IƆ makes its value ten times greater;

   • 2002, Allied Chambers, The Chambers Dictionary:

     The symbol Ɔ, known as the apostrophus, might be repeated one or more times after IƆ , each Ɔ making the number ten times greater , as IƆƆ = 5000 , ƆƆƆƆ = 500 000.

   • 2018, Jan K. Coetzee, Books & Bones & Other Things, page 78:

     Anno CIƆ IƆ C LXXXVI. (Apostrophus numbering): In the year 1686

From Ancient Greek ἀπόστροφος (apóstrophos, literally “turned back”), from ἀποστρέφω (apostréphō, “I turn away”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aˈpos.tro.pʰus/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /aˈpos.tro.fus/,

apostrophus m (genitive apostrophī); second declension

1. (Late Latin, orthography) The symbol '; apostrophe

Second-declension noun.