parentheses

pa·ren·the·sis  (p-rnth-ss)

n. pl. par·en·the·ses (-sz)

1. Either or both of the upright curved lines, ( ), used to mark off explanatory or qualifying remarks in writing or printing or enclose a sum, product, or other expression considered or treated as a collective entity in a mathematical operation.

2.

a. A qualifying or amplifying word, phrase, or sentence inserted within written matter in such a way as to be independent of the surrounding grammatical structure.

b. A comment departing from the theme of discourse; a digression.

3. An interruption of continuity; an interval: "This is one of the things I wasn't prepared forthe amount of unfilled time, the long parentheses of nothing" (Margaret Atwood).

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[Late Latin, insertion of a letter or syllable in a word, from Greek, from parentithenai, to insert : para-, beside; see para-¹ + en-, in; see en in Indo-European roots + tithenai, to put; see dh- in Indo-European roots.]

Translations

parentheses → أقواس závorky parenteser Klammern αγκύλες paréntesis sulkeet fixations zagrade parentesi 括弧 괄호 haakjes parentes nawiasy parênteses скобки parentes ในวงเล็บ köşeli parantez dấu ngoặc đơn 括号