See Also: parenthesis(dictionary)
parenthesis(dictionary)

parenthesis (iou)



parenthesis noun. . M16.
[Late Latin from Greek, from parentithenai place in besides, formed as PARA-1 + EN-2 + tithenai to place: see THESIS.]
A word, clause, sentence, etc., inserted (as an explanation, qualification, aside, or afterthought) into a passage which is already grammatically complete, and usu. marked off by brackets, dashes, or commas. Also, the use of such insertions, esp. as a rhetorical figure. M16.
J. Muirhead What is illegible..but..obvious from the context..is in italics, within marks of parenthesis ( ).
b. A rhetorical digression. M16-M18.
T. Gataker But let this go for a Parenthesis; return we to our task.
c. transf. An interval; an interlude; a hiatus. L16.
Joyce The years..of allotted human life formed a parenthesis of infinitesimal brevity.
(Inclusion of words within) a pair of round brackets. L16.
b. Either of a pair of (esp. round) brackets used to include words inserted parenthetically (usu. in pl.). E18.
c. Logic & Computing. A left-hand or right-hand bracket, esp. used in pairs to disambiguate a complex expression by grouping the symbols occurring within the scope of an operator. E20.
Phrases: in parenthesis by way of explanation or digression.
Comb.: parenthesis-free notation = Polish notation s.v. POLISH adjective.