apocope

Definition: The omission of vowels, consonants, or syllables from the end of a word or phrase so that it is easier to pronounce.
Note: Omitting from the interior of a word so that it is easier to pronounce is called syncope.
Example: What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.
In the above, oft is an example of apocope and ne'er is an example of syncope.
Etymology: The term derives from the Greek apokoptein, cutting off (from apo, away from + koptein, to cut.)
OED: Its first citation is from 1591:
"Apocope … as for vamos nos, they say vamonos."
(Percivall Sp. Dict. Bija,)



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