parenthesis
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parenthesis
- /pəˈɹɛnθɪsɪs/ UK
- /pəˈɹɛnθəsəs/ US
- /pəˈɹɛnθɪsiːz/ UK
- /pəˈɹɛnθəsiz/ US
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Late Latin parenthesis (“rhetorical device where an aside or example is included”), borrowed from Koine Greek πᾰρένθεσῐς (părénthesĭs, “insertion; putting in beside, injection; (grammar) parenthesis”), from Ancient Greek πᾰρεντῐ́θημῐ (părentĭ́thēmĭ) + -σις (-sis), from Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ- (pără-, prefix meaning ‘beside’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before, in front”) and/or from its etymon *per- (“before, in front”)) + ἐν (en, “at; in; on”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”)) + θέσῐς (thésĭs, “arrangement, placement, setting”) (from τῐ́θημῐ (tĭ́thēmĭ, “to place, put, set”) (ultimate from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”)) + -σῐς (-sĭs, suffix forming abstract nouns or nouns of action, process, or result)), modelled after Koine Greek πᾰρεντῐ́θημῐ (părentĭ́thēmĭ, “to put in beside; to mix up”).
The plural is also a learned borrowing from Late Latin parenthesēs.
noun parentheses
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A clause, phrase, or word which is inserted into a grammatically complete passage of text for explanation or as an aside, and usually marked off with brackets, commas, or dashes.
The duke ſome what maruelyng at this ſodaine pauſes as though they were but parentheſes, […]
Similar: parentheme
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An aside serving as an explanation; also, an afterthought.
[T]he phænomenon had not been vvorth a parentheſis.
Similar: parentheme
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The making of asides or explanations in grammatically complete passages of text.
Your firſt figure of tollerable diſorder is [Parentheſis] or by an Engliſh name the [Inſertour] and is vvhen ye vvill ſeeme for larger information or ſome other purpoſe, to peece or graffe in the middeſt of your tale an vnneceſſary parcell of ſpeach, vvhich neuertheleſſe may be thence vvithout any d
Similar: parentheme
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Either of a pair of brackets, chiefly the round brackets "(" and ")" but occasionally also the square brackets "[" and "]", which are used together to enclose parenthetical material in a text.
Therbe fiue maner poyntys⸝ and diuisiõs moſt vſide with cunnyng men: the which if they be well vſide: make the ſentens very light⸝ and eſy to vnderſtõd both to the reder⸝ ⁊ the herer⸝ ⁊ theybe theſe: virgil⸝ come⸝ parentheſis⸝ playne poynt⸝ and interrogatif. […] A parenthesis is with tway crokyd vir
Similar: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket
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Either of a pair of curved lines or shapes resembling a round bracket.
A prettie conceit Iulio, dooſt ſee Vulcan vvith the horning parentheſis in his fore-head!
Similar: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket
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Either of a pair of brackets used to clarify an expression by grouping terms affected by a common operator, or to enclose the components of a vector or the elements of a matrix.
Similar: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket
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An intervening event; an interlude, an interruption.
I ne're knevv Tabacco taken as a parentheſis before.
Similar: break, hiatus, breather, cessation, demurral, gap, caesura, halt, halting, interregnum, interruption, lapse
- A departing or straying from the main activity or subject; deviation, digression; (countable) an instance of this; an irrelevant interruption. Thus I conclude vvith this chance-medley Parentheſis, that vvhatſoeuer minutes intermiſſion I haue of calmed content, or leaſt reſpite to call my vvits together, principall and immediate proceedeth from him.
Translations
Every language
noun clause, phrase, or word which is inserted into a grammatically complete passage of text for explanation or as an aside
| Español | paréntesis |
|---|---|
| Português | parêntese |
| Français | parenthèse |
| Deutsch | Parenthese, Einschub |
| Ελληνικά | παρένθεση parénthesi |
| Română | paranteză |
| Русский | вво́дное сло́во vvódnoje slóvo |
| العربية | حشو ḥašw |
noun either of a pair of brackets used together to enclose parenthetical material in a text
| Español | paréntesis |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 괄호 gwalho |
| 日本語 | 括弧 kakko |
| 中文 | 插入語 /插入语 chārùyǔ, 括弧 kuòhú, 圓括號 /圆括号 yuánkuòhào |
| हिन्दी | कोष्ठक koṣṭhak |
| Português | parêntese |
| Français | parenthèse |
| Deutsch | Parenthese, Klammer, runde Klammer |
| Italiano | parentesi |
| Ελληνικά | παρένθεση parénthesi |
| Română | paranteză |
| Русский | кру́глая ско́бка krúglaja skóbka, ско́бка skóbka |
| Tiếng Việt | ngoặc, ngoặc đơn |
| العربية | قَوْس m (plural: أَقْوَاس m pl, قَوْسَانِ ʔaqwās |
| עברית | סוֹגֵר sogér |
noun two round brackets regarded collectively
| Português | parênteses |
|---|---|
| Français | parenthèses |
| Deutsch | runde Klammer |
| Ελληνικά | παρενθέσεις parenthéseis |
| Русский | ско́бки skóbki |
noun making of asides or explanations in grammatically complete passages of text
| Español | paréntesis |
|---|---|
| Português | parêntese |
| Français | parenthèse |
| Ελληνικά | παρένθεση parénthesi |
| Русский | отклоне́ние otklonénije, отступле́ние otstuplénije |
noun either of a pair of brackets used to clarify an expression by grouping terms affected by a common operator, or to enclose the components of a vector or the elem
| Español | paréntesis |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 括號 /括号 kuòhào |
| Français | parenthèses |
| Deutsch | runde Klammer |
| Ελληνικά | παρένθεση parénthesi |
Talk about this word "parenthesis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/parenthesis. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. parenthesis. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/parenthesis "parenthesis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/parenthesis.Cite this
@misc{parenthesis_2026,
title = {parenthesis},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/parenthesis},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
