The word apostrophe comes ultimately from the Greek ἡ ἀπόστροφος [προσῳδία], through Latin and French. Usage in English Historical development The apostrophe was first used by Pietro Bembo in his edition of De Aetna (1496). It was introduced into English in the 16th century in imitation of French practice.

The apostrophe probably originated in the early 16th Century – either in 1509, in an Italian edition of Petrarch, or in 1529, courtesy of French printer Geoffroy Tory, who seemingly had a fondness for creating linguistic marks, as he is also credited with inventing the accent and the cedilla.

The mark we call an apostrophe probably originated in 1509, in an Italian edition of Petrarch, or in 1529, at the hand of the French printer Geoffroy Tory, who is also credited with inventing the accent and the cedilla.

Origin: Introduced in the 16th century for elision (omitting letters). Evolution: Became standardised for indicating possession and contractions.