ellipsis

[ ih-lip-sis ]

/ ɪˈlɪp sɪs /

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See synonyms for: ellipsis / ellipses on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural el·lip·ses

[ih-lip-seez]. /ɪˈlɪp siz/.

Grammar.

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.
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.

Printing. a mark or marks as ——, …, or * * *, to indicate an omission or suppression of letters or words.

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Origin of ellipsis

1560–70; <Latin ellīpsis<Greek élleipsis an omission, equivalent to el- (variant of en-en-²) + leip- (stem of leípein to leave) + -sis-sis

Words nearby ellipsis

Ellicott City, Ellington, Ellington, Duke, Elliott, ellipse, ellipsis, ellipsograph, ellipsoid, ellipsoidal, ellipsoid of revolution, ellipsometer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ellipsis in a sentence

Create a meta description tease to increase click through ratesIn 150 characters, markets should include the best part of a post and end with an ellipsis.
Top 25 blogging SEO tips for 2022|RankIQ|January 14, 2022|Search Engine Watch
First, it’s less than a 45-minute walk from the Ellipsis to the Capitol.
The GOP quickly responds to Cheney’s ouster by ... pushing more conspiracy theories|Aaron Blake|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
Kepler’s laws of orbital motion tell us that planets orbit their host stars following ellipses.
We’re the Cosmic 1 Percent But Our Solar System Isn’t a Complete Weirdo - Facts So Romantic|Sean Raymond|January 5, 2021|Nautilus
For instance, the giant planets’ orbits are not circles, but modestly stretched out ellipses.
The Sight of Jupiter and Saturn Together Is a Beautiful Thing - Facts So Romantic|Sean Raymond & Sebastiaan Krijt|December 21, 2020|Nautilus

In fact, he showed how all motions in the heavens were versions of circles, ellipses, hyperbolas and parabolas.
The Two Forms of Mathematical Beauty|Robbert Dijkgraaf|June 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
But I noticed that when you quoted this section on page 116, you left “general welfare” out and put an ellipsis in its place.
Rick Perry on the Record|Andrew Romano|August 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
With this reading, left (l. 22) would be taken as an ellipsis for being left; with the emended reading, for was left.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
"As soon as I've seen—" and a significant nod supplied the ellipsis.
Warrior Gap|Charles King
A row of asterisks represents an ellipsis in a poetry quotation.
Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume II (of 2)|Lady Anne Hamilton
The remaining points connected with the syntax of substantives, are chiefly points of ellipsis.
A Handbook of the English Language|Robert Gordon Latham
The preceding examples illustrate an apparent paradox, viz., the fact of pleonasm and ellipsis being closely allied.
A Handbook of the English Language|Robert Gordon Latham

British Dictionary definitions for ellipsis

ellipsis

/ (ɪˈlɪpsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

Also called: eclipsis omission of parts of a word or sentence

printing a sequence of three dots (…) indicating an omission in text

Word Origin for ellipsis

C16: from Latin, from Greek elleipsis omission, from elleipein to leave out, from leipein to leave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for ellipsis

ellipsis

[ (i-lip-sis) ]

A punctuation mark (...) used most often within quotations to indicate that something has been left out. For example, if we leave out parts of the above definition, it can read: “A punctuation mark (...) used most often ... to indicate....”

ellipsis

Origin of ellipsis

Words nearby ellipsis

Words related to ellipsis

How to use ellipsis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ellipsis

Word Origin for ellipsis

Cultural definitions for ellipsis