The Apostrophe

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Apostrophe

[uh-pos-truh-fee]

In English, the apostrophe is the agent of contraction and possession, shortening words by replacing letters as in: can't for "can(no)t," and designating ownership as in: "the iguana is Lisa's."

The word came to English in the late 1500s as a direct loan from the Middle French apostrophe meaning "aversion" or "turning away." Following its induction into English, the symbol enjoyed extreme popularity in written text, the result of a centuries-long trend to imitate French culture.