| ellipsis (grammar) |
| Definition - Omitting a word or phrase that is needed for complete syntax, but which isn't needed for complete comprehension. |
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Example - In the sentence Fire when ready the you are is missing but inferred, thus the sentence really means Fire when you are ready. |
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Etymology - The word derives from the Greek elleipsis, a leaving out (from Greek elleipein, to leave out). |
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Oxford English Dictionary - The first recorded use of the word in its grammatical sense is from 1612: "The first of the Substantives is oft understood by a figure called Ellipsis." (Brinsley Pos. Parts (1669) 67) |
