parenthesis

[ puh-ren-thuh-sis ]

noun

, plural pa·ren·the·ses [p, uh, -, ren, -th, uh, -seez].

1. 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.
2. Usually parentheses. the material contained within these marks.
3. 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—you must know him—is coming tonight.
4. an interval.

parenthesis

/ ˌpærənˈθɛtɪk; pəˈrɛnθɪsɪs /

noun

1. a phrase, often explanatory or qualifying, inserted into a passage with which it is not grammatically connected, and marked off by brackets, dashes, etc
2. 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
3. an intervening occurrence; interlude; interval
4. in parenthesis
   inserted as a parenthesis

Derived Forms

• parenthetic, adjective
• ˌparenˈthetically, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of parenthesis¹

1560–70; < Late Latin < Greek parénthesis a putting in beside. See par-, en- ², thesis

Word History and Origins

Origin of parenthesis¹

C16: via Late Latin from Greek: something placed in besides, from parentithenai, from para- ¹+ en- ² + tithenai to put

Example Sentences

“It feels so retro — reminiscent of search engine optimization, social media and pivoting to video, just as AI and agents threaten to become a new web,” said Jeff Jarvis, Jarvis, author of “The Gutenberg Parenthesis: The Age of Print and its Lessons for the Age of the Internet.”

From Seattle Times

Whereas if it were ‘natural flavor’ and then in parenthesis a long list of bizarre chemical names, you might think twice about eating it.

From Salon

“There’s an inevitability to what is happening,” Jarvis, author of “The Gutenberg Parenthesis: The Age of Print and its Lessons for the Age of the Internet,” said in an interview.

From Seattle Times

The members that were present will be listed along with their title or department in parenthesis.

From Encyclopedia.com

As Jamelle Bouie observes in a New York Times column this week, second terms are when presidents define their legacies, for better or for worse, and it was nonsensical to believe that a professional politician who has spent six decades trying to reach the White House would surrender it voluntarily, and forever be remembered as a historical footnote or parenthesis.

From Salon