Main Entry: pa·ren·the·sis

Pronunciation: \pə-ˈren(t)-thə-səs\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pa·ren·the·ses \-ˌsēz\

Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek, literally, act of inserting, from parentithenai to insert, from para- + en- en- + tithenai to place — more at do

Date: circa 1550

1 a : an amplifying or explanatory word, phrase, or sentence inserted in a passage from which it is usually set off by punctuation b : a remark or passage that departs from the theme of a discourse : digression
2 : interlude, interval
3 : one or both of the curved marks ( ) used in writing and printing to enclose a parenthetical expression or to group a symbolic unit in a logical or mathematical expression

— par·en·thet·i·cal \ˌper-ən-ˈthe-ti-kəl, pa-rən-\ also par·en·thet·ic \-tik\ adjective

— par·en·thet·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb