Main Entry: ¹brack·et

Pronunciation: \ˈbra-kət\

Function: noun

Etymology: perhaps from Middle French braguette codpiece, from diminutive of brague breeches, from Old Occitan braga, from Latin braca, of Celtic origin — more at breech

Date: 1580

1 : an overhanging member that projects from a structure (as a wall) and is usually designed to support a vertical load or to strengthen an angle
2 : a fixture (as for holding a lamp) projecting from a wall or column
3 a : one of a pair of marks [ ] used in writing and printing to enclose matter or in mathematics and logic as signs of aggregation —called also square bracket b : one of the pair of marks < > used to enclose matter —called also angle bracket c : parenthesis 3 d : brace 5b
4 : a section of a continuously numbered or graded series (as age ranges or income levels)
5 : a pairing of opponents in an elimination tournament