Parenthesis

Parenthesis
Parenthesis Pa*ren"the*sis (p[.a]*r[e^]n"th[-e]*s[i^]s), n.; pl. {Parentheses}. [NL., fr. Gr. pare`nqesis, fr. parentiqe`nai to put in beside, insert; para` beside + 'en in + tiqe`nai to put, place. See {Para-}, {En-}, 2, and {Thesis}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually inclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. ``Seldom mentioned without a derogatory parenthesis.'' --Sir T. Browne. [1913 Webster]

Don't suffer every occasional thought to carry you away into a long parenthesis. --Watts. [1913 Webster]

2. (Print.) One of the curved lines () which inclose a parenthetic word or phrase. [1913 Webster]

Note: Parenthesis, in technical grammar, is that part of a sentence which is inclosed within the recognized sign; but many phrases and sentences which are punctuated by commas are logically parenthetical. In def. 1, the phrase ``by way of comment or explanation'' is inserted for explanation, and the sentence would be grammatically complete without it. The present tendency is to avoid using the distinctive marks, except when confusion would arise from a less conspicuous separation. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Parenthesis — may be:*Parenthesis, either of the curved bracket ( ) punctuation marks that together make a set of parentheses *Parenthesis (rhetoric), an explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence …   Wikipedia

  • parenthesis — (n.) 1540s, words, clauses, etc. inserted into a sentence, from M.Fr. parenthèse, from L.L. parenthesis addition of a letter to a syllable in a word, from Gk. parenthesis, lit. a putting in beside, from parentithenai put in beside, from para… …   Etymology dictionary

  • parenthesis — 1. Parenthesis is a term denoting an aside or extra remark that is added to a sentence; it is normally marked off by brackets, commas, or dashes, and the rest of the sentence is grammatically complete without it. Parentheses can be single words,… …   Modern English usage

  • Parenthesis — Parenthesis, griech., Parenthese, Schaltsatz, eingeschobener Satz, der keinen Bestandtheil des Hauptsatzes bildet, gewöhnlich durch die ebenfalls P. genannten Zeichen () od. [] od. – – eingeklammert wird; in der Algebra gehören die mit dem… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • parenthesis — index insertion Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • parenthesis — ► NOUN (pl. parentheses) 1) a word or phrase inserted as an explanation or afterthought, in writing usually marked off by brackets, dashes, or commas. 2) (parentheses) a pair of round brackets () used to include such a word or phrase. ORIGIN… …   English terms dictionary

  • parenthesis — [pə ren′thə sis] n. pl. parentheses [pə ren′thəsēz΄] [LL < Gr < parentithenai, to put beside < para , beside (see PARA 1) + entithenai, to insert < en , in + tithenai, to put, place: see DO1] 1. an additional word, clause, etc. placed …   English World dictionary

  • parenthesis — noun 1 parentheses (esp. AmE) marks around extra information in writing ⇨ See also ↑bracket VERB + PARENTHESES ▪ enclose sth in parentheses, give sth in parentheses, put sth in parentheses ▪ The prices are given in parentheses. PREPOS …   Collocations dictionary

  • parenthesis — pa|ren|the|sis [pəˈrenθısıs] n plural parentheses [ si:z] [C usually plural] [Date: 1500 1600; : Late Latin; Origin: Greek, from parentithenai to put in ] 1.) a round ↑bracket in parentheses ▪ The figures in parentheses refer to page numbers …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • parenthesis — [[t]pəre̱nθəsiːz[/t]] parentheses 1) N COUNT: usu pl Parentheses are a pair of curved marks that you put around words or numbers to indicate that they are additional, separate, or less important. (This sentence is in parentheses.) Syn: bracket 2) …   English dictionary

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