parenthesis

plural parentheses

1. countableA 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.

   Hither pertaineth a Parentheſis, vvherein tvvo Comma’s include a Sentence: […]

   a. 1638 (date written), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “The English Grammar. […]. [Chapter IX. Of the Distinction of Sentences.]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1640–1641, →OCLC, 2nd booke, page 83

   4 more examples

   The duke ſome what maruelyng at this ſodaine pauſes as though they were but parentheſes, […]

   a. 1548 (date written), Edward Hall, Richard Grafton, “[The Tragicall Doynges of Kynge Richard the Thirde.] The .II. Yere.”, in The Vnion of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke, […], London: […] Rychard Grafton, […] [and Steven Mierdman], published 1550, →OCLC, folio vij, verso

   In reading a parentheſis, the tone muſt be ſomevvhat lovver, as a thing or matter that comes in bye the bye, breaking in as it vvere on the main coherence of the period. The time is equal to a comma, and ought to be read pretty quick, leaſt it detain the ear too long from the ſenſe of the more important matter.

   1771, George Fisher, “Of Stops, Marks, and Points, Used in Reading and Writing; with Their Places and Significations”, in The Instructor; or, Young Man’s Best Companion. Containing Spelling, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, in an Easier Way than Any yet Published. […], 23rd edition, Edinburgh: […] Gavin Alston, […], →OCLC, page 23

   Mr. Trevanion was one of those talkers, who are too much engrossed with their own subject matter to have much attention to bestow elsewhere; with them silence is attention. Ethel's wandering eye, and lip, tremulous with its effort to speak, would never have attracted his notice. To his utter astonishment, she interrupted a parenthesis, as brilliant as the rocket which it depicted, by saying,—"Mr. Trevanion, I do not know what you will think of my boldness, but I must speak to you."

   1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 113

   How expressive this little parenthesis: "Sakuntalâ makes a chiding gesture with her finger"! it paints better than words could do Sakuntalâ's confusion and annoyance at her friend's indiscretion.

   1903, Karl Mantzius, “The Indian Theatre”, in Louise von Cossel, transl., A History of Theatrical Art in Ancient and Modern Times, volume I (The Earliest Times), London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC, section II, page 86

   Synonyms: parentheme

   1. countablegenerallyAn aside serving as an explanation; also, an afterthought.

      [T]he phænomenon had not been vvorth a parentheſis.

      1762, [Laurence Sterne], chapter XVI, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume V, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 73

      1 more example

      ("You listen to this," said my sister to me, in a severe parenthesis.)

      1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter IV, in Great Expectations […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 53

      Synonyms: parentheme

   2. rhetoricuncountableThe making of asides or explanations in grammatically complete passages of text.

      1 more example

      Your firſt figure of tollerable diſorder is [Parentheſis] or by an Engliſh name the [Inſertour] and is vvhen ye vvill ſeeme for larger information or ſome other purpoſe, to peece or graffe in the middeſt of your tale an vnneceſſary parcell of ſpeach, vvhich neuertheleſſe may be thence vvithout any detriment to the reſt.

      1589, attributed to George Puttenham, “Of Your Figures Auricular Working by Disorder”, in The Arte of English Poesie. […], London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC, 3rd booke (Of Ornament), pages 140–141

      Synonyms: parentheme

2. broadlycountablecommunicationsEither of a pair of brackets, chiefly the round brackets "(" and ")" but occasionally also the square brackets "[" and "]", which are used together to enclose parenthetical material in a text.

   If one ſentence be vvithin another, of vvhich it is no part, then it is placed betvveen tvvo ſemicircles or parentheſis, made thus ().

   1771, George Fisher, “Of Stops, Marks, and Points, Used in Reading and Writing; with Their Places and Significations”, in The Instructor; or, Young Man’s Best Companion. Containing Spelling, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, in an Easier Way than Any yet Published. […], 23rd edition, Edinburgh: […] Gavin Alston, […], →OCLC, page 23

   5 more examples

   Therbe fiue maner poyntys⸝ and diuisiõs moſt vſide with cunnyng men: the which if they be well vſide: make the ſentens very light⸝ and eſy to vnderſtõd both to the reder⸝ ⁊ the herer⸝ ⁊ theybe theſe: virgil⸝ come⸝ parentheſis⸝ playne poynt⸝ and interrogatif. […] A parenthesis is with tway crokyd virgils: as an olde mone⸝ ⁊ a neu bely to bely: the whiche be ſet theton afore the begynyng⸝ and thetother after the latyr ende of a clauſe: cõmyng within an other clauſe: that may be perfet: thoſ the clauſe, ſo comyng betwene: wer awey and therfore it is ſowndyde comynly a note lower: than the vttur clauſe.

   There be five manner [of] points, and divisions most used with cunning men, the which if they be well used, make the sentence very light, and easy to understand both to the reader, & the hearer, & they be these: virgil, come, parenthesis, plain point, and interrogative. […] A parenthesis is with two crooked virgils: as an old moon, & a new belly to belly, the which be set the one before the beginning, and the other after the latter end of a clause, coming within another clause, that may be perfect: thus the clause, so coming between, were away and therefore it is sounded commonly a note lower, than the outer clause.

   [1505?], [Richard Pynson?], “Of the Craft of Poyntyng”, in Ascensius [i.e., Jodocus Badius], Ascensius Declynsons with the Playne Exposition, [London?]: [Richard Pynson?], →OCLC

   [T]he Kitchin […] was no bigger then the Cookes roome in a ſhip, with a little court chimney, about the compaſſe of a Parentheſis in proclamation print: then iudge you what diminutiue diſhes came out of this doues-neaſt.

   1592, Thomas Nash[e], Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Deuill. […], London: […] [John Charlewood for] Richard Ihones, […], →OCLC, signature B, verso

   Of his sentences perhaps not more than nine-tenths stand straight on their legs; the remainder are quite angular attitudes, buttressed-up by props (of parentheses and dashes), and ever with this or the other tagrag hanging from them; a few even sprawl-out helplessly on all sides, quite broken-backed and dismembered.

   1831, Thomas Carlyle, “Characteristics”, in Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 21

   The Parenthesis incloses in the body of a Sentence a member inserted into it, which is neither necessary to the Sense, nor at all affects the Construction. It marks a moderate Depression of the voice, with a pause greater than a Comma.

   1842, F[rancis] Francillon, “Appendix. No. I.”, in An Essay on Punctuation with Incidental Remarks on Composition, London: Whittaker and Co., […], →OCLC, page 54

   [T]he present research also made an effort to approach a greater accuracy in presenting the original sources of borrowed words. This was achieved by presenting etymons from Hindustani in the Devanagari script followed by a transliteration in the Roman alphabet in parentheses.

   2018 June, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian Slang in Dictionaries on Historical Principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, number 2, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Blackwell Publishing, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 255

   Synonyms: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket

   1. broadlycountableuncountablecommunicationsEither of a pair of curved lines or shapes resembling a round bracket.

      A prettie conceit Iulio, dooſt ſee Vulcan vvith the horning parentheſis in his fore-head!

      1608, Iohn Day [i.e., John Day], Law-trickes: Or, Who Would Have Thought It. […], London: […] [Edward Allde] for for Richard More, […], →OCLC, Act III, signature E, recto

      1 more example

      [W]e cultivated a turn for mechanic or scientific operations; making little sun-dials of paper; or weaving those ingenious parentheses, called cat-cradles; […]

      1823, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “Christ’s Hospital Five and Thirty Years Ago”, in Elia. Essays which have Appeared under that Signature in The London Magazine, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 41

      Synonyms: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket

   2. broadlycountableuncountablecommunicationsEither of a pair of brackets used to clarify an expression by grouping terms affected by a common operator, or to enclose the components of a vector or the elements of a matrix.

      Synonyms: paren, parenthesis-point, bracket

3. countablefigurativelyAn intervening event; an interlude, an interruption.

   I ne're knevv Tabacco taken as a parentheſis before.

   1599 (first performance), B. I. [i.e., Ben Jonson], The Comicall Satyre of Euery Man out of His Humor. […], London: […] [Adam Islip] for William Holme, […], published 1600, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, signature [K iv], verso

   4 more examples

   […] Charles flevv to me, catches me in his arms, raiſed, and extending mine to meet his dear embrace, and gives me an account, interrupted by many a ſvveet parentheſis of kiſſes, of the ſucceſs of his meaſures.

   Fanny Hill

   1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC, page 131

   With what meditations did [Leopold] Bloom accompany his demonstration to his companion of various constellation? Meditations of evolution increasingly vaster: […] of the parallax or parallactic drift of socalled fixed stars, in reality evermoving from immeasurably remote eons to infinitely remote futures in comparison with which the years, thre[e]score and ten, of allotted human life formed a parenthesis of infinitesimal brevity.

   1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 17: Ithaca]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part III [Nostos], page 651

   The war's making us all a bit abnormal. […] For people like [Winston] Churchill it's life, the fulfilment of his bloody career. For the rest of us it's a parenthesis. A mad life in brackets. Start again and pray for a return to sanity.

   1987 July (date written), Anthony Burgess, “Dau”, in Any Old Iron, Pocket Books export edition, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, published August 1989, →ISBN, page 104

   Ryan Bingham (George Clooney): I thought I was a part of your life. / Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga): I thought we signed up for the same thing […] I thought our relationship was perfectly clear. You are an escape. You're a break from our normal lives. You're a parenthesis. / Ryan Bingham (George Clooney): I'm a parenthesis?

   2009 September 5, Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.: Paramount Pictures, →OCLC

   Synonyms: break, hiatus, break, breather, cessation, demurral, gap, caesura

4. figurativelyobsoleteuncountableA departing or straying from the main activity or subject; deviation, digression; (countable) an instance of this; an irrelevant interruption.

   Away with this parenthiſis of words, / Crosbie courage thy men, and on this greene, / whoſe cauſe is right, let it be quickly ſeene.

   1599, [Thomas Heywood], “[The First Part]”, in The First and Second Partes of King Edward the Fourth. […], London: […] I. W. for Iohn Oxenbridge, […], →OCLC, signature D2, recto

   2 more examples

   Thus I conclude vvith this chance-medley Parentheſis, that vvhatſoeuer minutes intermiſſion I haue of calmed content, or leaſt reſpite to call my vvits together, principall and immediate proceedeth from him.

   1594, Tho[mas] Nashe, The Terrors of the Night: Or, A Discourse of Apparitions, London: […] Iohn Danter for William Iones, […], →OCLC, signature [Fiv], recto

   I believe, upon review, that this is a mighty indefinite letter; I would have waited for certainties, but not knowing how long that might be, I thought you would prefer this parenthesis of politics.

   1757 May 5 (date written), Horace Walpole, “Letter CCXCIX”, in Lord Dover [i.e., George Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover], editor, Letters of Horace Walpole Earl of Orford, to Sir Horace Mann, British Envoy at the Court of Tuscany. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley […], published 1833, →OCLC, page 262