ellipsis: Meaning and Definition of

el•lip•sis

Pronunciation: (i-lip'sis), [key]
— pl. -ses
    1. the omission from a sentence or other construction of one or more words that would complete or clarify the construction, as the omission of who are, while I am, or while we are from I like to interview people sitting down.
    2. the omission of one or more items from a construction in order to avoid repeating the identical or equivalent items that are in a preceding or following construction, as the omission of been to Paris from the second clause of I've been to Paris, but they haven't.
  1. a mark or marks as ——, … , or * * *, to indicate an omission or suppression of letters or words.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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