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Webster 1913 Edition


Ellipsis

El-lip′sis

(ĕl-lĭp′sĭs)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Ellipses
(ĕl-lĭp′sēz)
.
[L., fr. Gr.
ἔλλειψισ
a leaving, defect, fr.
ἐλλείπειν
to leave in, fall short;
ἐν
in +
λείπειν
to leave. See
In
, and
Loan
, and cf.
Ellipse
.]
1.
(Gram.)
Omission; a figure of syntax, by which one or more words, which are obviously understood, are omitted;
as, the virtues I admire, for, the virtues
which
I admire
.
2.
(Geom.)
An ellipse.
[Obs.]

Webster 1828 Edition


Ellipsis

ELLIP'SIS

,
Noun.
[Gr. an omission or defect, to leave or pass by.]
1.
In geometry, an oval figure generated from the section of a cone, by a plane cutting both sides of it, but not parallel to the base.
2.
In grammar, defect; omission; a figure of syntax, by which one or more words are omitted, which the hearer or reader may supply; as, the heroic virtues I admire,for the heroic virtues which I admire.

Definition 2024


ellipsis

ellipsis

English

Examples (grammar)
  • He is faster than she. (Here, a trailing “is fast” is omitted, grammatically required, and implied.)
  • She went home, so I did, too. (Did stands for “went home”.)

Noun

ellipsis (plural ellipses)

  1. (typography) A mark consisting of three periods, historically with spaces in between, before, and after them “ . . . ”, nowadays a single character “” Ellipses are used to indicate that words have been omitted in a text or that they are missing or illegible.
    • 2006, Danielle Corsetto, Girls with Slingshots: 114
      CARD: Hey Baby. Thanks for the … last night. Love you!
      HAZEL: Wow. I’ve never despised an ellipsis so much in my life.
  2. (grammar, rhetoric) The omission of a grammatically required word or phrase that can be inferred.
  3. (film) The omission of scenes in a film that do not advance the plot.
    • 2002, David Blanke, The 1910s: 219
      It was now possible for writers and directors to cut scenes that did not further the plot; called "ellipses" by filmmakers.

Synonyms

Translations

See also

Punctuation


Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (élleipsis, omission)

Pronunciation

Noun

ellīpsis f (genitive ellīpsis); third declension

  1. ellipsis
  2. ellipse

Inflection

Third declension i-stem.

Case Singular Plural
nominative ellīpsis ellīpsēs
genitive ellīpsis ellīpsium
dative ellīpsī ellīpsibus
accusative ellīpsem ellīpsēs
ablative ellīpse ellīpsibus
vocative ellīpsis ellīpsēs

Descendants

References