ellipsis

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin ellipsis, from Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (élleipsis, “omission”). Doublet of ellipse.

noun

  1. (typography, mathematics) A mark consisting of (in English) three periods, historically or more formally with spaces in between, before, and after them, " . . . ", or, more recently, a single character, "…", used to indicate that words have been omitted in a text or that they are missing or illegible, or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues (e.g., 1, ..., 4 means 1, 2, 3, 4).
    CARD: Hey Baby. Thanks for the … last night. Love you! HAZEL: Wow. I've never despised an ellipsis so much in my life. 2006, Danielle Corsetto, Girls with Slingshots: 114
  2. (grammar, rhetoric) The omission of a word or phrase that can be inferred from the context.
  3. (film">film) The omission of scenes in a film">film that do not advance the plot.
    It was now possible for writers and directors to cut scenes that did not further the plot; called "ellipses" by filmmakers. 2002, David Blanke, The 1910s: 219
  4. (obsolete, geometry) An ellipse.

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