Lexicon of Classical Philology, Rhetorical Devices, and Discourse Typologies

• Aposiopesis — A scholarly form, direct transliteration, or bookish stylistic variant for the figure of speech known as aposiopesis or reticence, consisting of the sudden breaking off of a speech or sentence under the influence of a powerful emotion (fear, rage, modesty), leaving the continuation to the imagination of the reader or audience. In text, this syntactic figure is graphically marked by ellipses or a dash.
• Apostrophic — Pertaining to or relating to an apostrophe, possessing the character of an apostrophe; marked by direct addresses, vehement interpellations, or harsh reproaches aimed at an interlocutor, an absent character, or a personified abstract entity. In the stylistics of poetic or oratorical texts, the term qualifies an animated, passionate, or incisive tone designed to enhance the dramatic impact of the discourse.