ellipsis — the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɪˈlɪpsɪs/
Example Sentences
- The teacher explained that 'Want some coffee?' is an ellipsis of 'Do you want some coffee?'
- His text message was full of ellipses: 'So... we need to talk...'
- The mystery novel ended with an ellipsis, leaving readers guessing about the killer's identity.
ellipsis
NOUN[/ɪˈlɪpsɪs/]
the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Greek 'elleipsis' meaning 'a leaving out' or 'deficiency,' derived from 'elleipein' meaning 'to leave behind' or 'fall short.' The term captures the idea of deliberately omitting words or marks to indicate missing parts.
Breakdown
el- (variant of 'en-', meaning 'in') + leip- (to leave, abandon) + -sis (noun suffix indicating action or condition)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The teacher explained that 'Want some coffee?' is an ellipsis of 'Do you want some coffee?'”
“His text message was full of ellipses: 'So... we need to talk...'”
“The mystery novel ended with an ellipsis, leaving readers guessing about the killer's identity.”
“She overuses ellipsis in her emails, making every sentence sound dramatic...”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
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