| apocope |
| Definition - The omission of letters or syllables from the end of a word or phrase so that it is easier to pronounce. Notes: 1. The omitting of letters or syllables from a word's interior so that it is easier to pronounce is called syncope, whereas omitting from the beginning of a word is called aphaeresis. |
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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.) |
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Etymology - The term derives from the Greek apokoptein, cutting off (from apo, away from + koptein, to cut.) |
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Oxford English Dictionary - Its first citation is from 1591: "Apocope … as for vamos nos, they say vamonos." (Percivall Sp. Dict. Bija, ) |
