bracket

[ brak-it ]

noun

1. a support, as of metal or wood, projecting from a wall or the like to hold or bear the weight of a shelf, part of a cornice, etc.
2. a shelf or shelves so supported.
3. a square bracket or a curly bracket.
4. Mathematics.
   1. brackets, parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit.
   2. (loosely) vinculum ( def 2 ).
   3. Informal. an expression or formula between a pair of brackets.
5. a grouping of people based on the amount of their income:

   the low-income bracket.

6. a class; grouping; classification:

   She travels in a different social bracket.

7. Sports. a diagram that tracks the process of elimination among sequentially paired opponents in a tournament.
8. Architecture.
   1. any horizontally projecting support for an overhanging weight, as a corbel, cantilever, or console.
   2. any of a series of fancifully shaped false consoles beneath an ornamental cornice.
9. (on a staircase) an ornamental piece filling the angle between a riser and its tread.
10. Shipbuilding.
    1. a flat plate, usually triangular with a flange on one edge, used to unite and reinforce the junction between two flat members or surfaces meeting at an angle.
    2. any member for reinforcing the angle between two members or surfaces.
11. a projecting fixture for gas or electricity.
12. Gunnery. range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets.
2. to place within brackets; couple with a brace.
3. to associate, mention, or class together:

   Gossip columnists often bracket them together, so a wedding may be imminent.

4. Gunnery. to place (shots) both beyond and short of a target.
5. Photography. to take (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure.

bracket

/ ˈbrækɪt /

noun

1. an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc
2. one or more wall shelves carried on brackets
3. architect a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure See also corbel ancon console 2
4. Also calledsquare bracket either of a pair of characters, [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text
5. a general name for parenthesis square bracket brace
6. a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits

   the lower income bracket

7. the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding
8. a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape ⋎

verb

1. to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets
2. to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text
3. to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace
4. often foll by with to group or class together

   to bracket Marx with the philosophers

5. to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit

Other Words From

• un·brack·et·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bracket¹

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier brag(g)et, from Middle French braguette “codpiece,” diminutive of Old Provençal braga “breeches” ( brogue ²( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bracket¹

C16: from Old French braguette codpiece, diminutive of bragues breeches, from Old Provençal braga , from Latin brāca breeches

Example Sentences

On the lower end of the income bracket, there was a lot of upset over the state of the economy.

From Slate

While his salary may have only just kept us securely in the middle-class bracket, it was enough to allow my mom to stay home from the time my sister was born, in 1989, until I was in first grade, in 1999.

From Slate

Until then, any kind of pay rise could drag you into a higher tax bracket, or see a greater proportion of your income taxed than would otherwise be expected.

From BBC

“They’re in a different tax bracket. And they’ve forgotten the sacrifices that were made by their parents, by their grandparents, by their great-grandparents. Nobody leaves their homeland because it’s great. People leave their homeland because they can’t make a life.”

From Los Angeles Times

But humor has changed in the internet age, and even if she is now basically uncancelable, Griffin has softened her touch accordingly, acknowledging that she is part of the tax bracket she lampoons.

From Salon

Related Words

• category