ellipsis
ellipsis Lexical Profile
ellipsis Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A punctuation mark consisting of a series of three dots (...), used to indicate the intentional omission of words from a quotation or an unfinished thought.
"The editor inserted an ellipsis to show that a lengthy digression had been removed from the interview transcript."
The omission from speech or writing of one or more words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues.
"Conversational English relies heavily on ellipsis, as when someone replies 'I can' instead of repeating the full verb phrase."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'ellipsis' (the omission of words or the three-dot punctuation mark, plural 'ellipses') with 'ellipse' (an oval geometric shape, which also shares the plural form 'ellipses').
• Rhymes for ellipsis
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'ellipsis', from Ancient Greek 'elleipsis' meaning 'a falling short, defect, or omission', derived from 'elleipein' ('to fall short' or 'leave out').