Also 8 -phy. [a. L. apostrophe, a. Gr. ἀποστροφή, n. of action f. ἀποστρέφ-ειν to turn away, f. ἀπό away + στρέφ-ειν to turn, στροφή a turning.]
1. Rhet. A figure of speech, by which a speaker or writer suddenly stops in his discourse, and turns to address pointedly some person or thing, either present or absent; an exclamatory address. (As explained by Quintilian, apostrophe was directed to a person present; modern use has extended it to the absent or dead (who are for the nonce supposed to be present); but it is by no means confined to these, as sometimes erroneously stated.)
1533. More, Apol., vii. Wks. 1557, 859/1. With a fygure of apostrophe and turning his tale to God criyng out: O good Lorde.
1649. Roberts, Clavis Bibl., 678. An Apostrophe, or affectionate Compellation of all that passe by to be sensibly touch’t with her sorrows.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, I. 272. Themistocles … accosted him with that noble apostrophe, Strike, but hear?
1830. Coleridge, Lect. Shaks., II. 118. The apostrophe to light at the commencement of the third book [of Paradise Lost] is particularly beautiful.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 30. Bursting out into wild accusing apostrophes to God and destiny.
2. Bot. The aggregation of protoplasm and chlorophyll-grains on the cell-walls adjacent to other cells, as opposed to epistrophe when they collect on the free cell-walls.
1875. Bennett & Dyer, trans. Sachs’ Bot., 672. The second mode, or Apostrophe, takes place under unfavourable external conditions.
