parentheses

par·en·the·ses
P3A1R1E1N1T1H4E1S1E1S1
UK/pəˈɹɛnθɪsiːz/US/pəˈɹɛnθəsiz/

A form of parenthesis — 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.

OriginLate Latin parenthesēs →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of parenthesis

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bracketlunula

Origin

  1. Late Latinparenthesēs
  2. Englishparentheses

Learned borrowing from Late Latin parenthesēs.

More words from Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

parentheses. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parentheses

MLA

“parentheses.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parentheses. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parentheses,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parentheses.

Source: parentheses on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.