| 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,) |