apostrophised

Apostrophised is the past tense of the verb apostrophise, meaning to insert or use an apostrophe in writing. The term is primarily used in British English, where the corresponding American spelling is apostrophize; the past tense in American usage is apostrophized. The act of apostrophising covers both contractions and possessives, as well as deliberate use of apostrophes in stylistic or editorial choices.

In practical terms, to apostrophise a word is to indicate missing letters in contractions (for example, turning "do not" into "don't" or "it is" into "it's") and to mark possession (as in "the cat's whiskers"). It can also involve decisions about whether to place an apostrophe in certain plural forms or abbreviations under specific style guidelines, such as debates over "the 1960s" versus "the 1960's," where many style guides discourage the latter.

Regional and stylistic considerations surround the concept. In British English, apostrophised forms are common in instruction and description of typography or grammar. In American English, the equivalent term is apostrophize. Style guides across regions differ on when an apostrophe is appropriate, particularly with plurals, initials, or years, which can lead to differing recommendations about apostrophe use.

Etymologically, the verb derives from apostrophe, with the suffix -ise (British) or -ize (American). The noun apostrophe itself comes from the Greek apostrophē, meaning a turning away or mark used to indicate elision or possession.