PARENTHESIS Definition & Meaning

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parenthesis

[ puh-ren-thuh-sis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural parentheses

either or both of a pair of signs ( ) used in writing to mark off an interjected explanatory or qualifying remark, to indicate separate groupings of symbols in mathematics and symbolic logic, etc.
Usually parentheses. the material contained within these marks.
Grammar. a qualifying, explanatory, or appositive word, phrase, clause, or sentence that interrupts a syntactic construction without otherwise affecting it, having often a characteristic intonation and indicated in writing by commas, parentheses, or dashes, as in William Smith鈥攜ou must know him鈥攊s coming tonight.
an interval.

parenthesis

/ 藢p忙r蓹n藞胃蓻t瑟k; p蓹藞r蓻n胃瑟s瑟s /

a phrase, often explanatory or qualifying, inserted into a passage with which it is not grammatically connected, and marked off by brackets, dashes, etc
Also calledbracket either of a pair of characters, (), used to enclose such a phrase or as a sign of aggregation in mathematical or logical expressions
an intervening occurrence; interlude; interval
in parenthesis
inserted as a parenthesis

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1560鈥�70; < Late Latin < Greek 辫补谤茅苍迟丑别蝉颈蝉 a putting in beside. See par-, en- ², thesis

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C16: via Late Latin from Greek: something placed in besides, from parentithenai, from para- ¹+ en- 虏 + tithenai to put

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Examples have not been reviewed.

It was an ad for a Holocaust tour that touted in parentheses 鈥渨ith lunch.鈥�

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Whereas if it were 鈥榥atural flavor鈥� and then in parenthesis a long list of bizarre chemical names, you might think twice about eating it.

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Finnie: You said that when you were younger growing up, that you saw a record and you saw the name in parentheses.

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Figures in parentheses reflect the number of times a book was checked out.

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A look at the qualifying fields, broken down by site and with world ranking in parentheses:

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