Apóstrophos

Apóstrophos, commonly translated as apostrophe, is the Greek term for the punctuation mark known in Latin-script languages as the apostrophe. In Greek texts, it marks elision—the omission of a vowel or letters at word boundaries—and, in older or stylized writing, can indicate omitted material or a glottal pause. It is used in both Ancient and Modern Greek, though its specific functions have varied over time.

Etymology: The word derives from Ancient Greek apo- “away” and strophē “turning,” literally “a turning away.” The term was adopted to name the mark that signals letters or sounds turned away in pronunciation or written form. In typography, the apóstrofo can appear as a straight or curved glyph, depending on font and encoding.

Usage and typography: In Modern Greek, the apostrophe is used to indicate elision in casual writing and in poetry, and to reproduce speech patterns in dialect writing. It is not used to mark possession as in English; Greek typically expresses ownership through grammatical endings and possessive constructions. In printed and digital texts, the apostrophe may be shown as a straight quote (') or a typographic apostrophe (’) depending on the typeface and style guidelines. Some Greek typography conventions prefer the typographic form to align with general typesetting practices and to avoid confusion with other symbols.