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 : digression2: interlude, interval3: 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

Listen to the pronunciation of parenthetic

\-tik\ adjective

— par·en·thet·i·cal·ly

\-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Learn more about "parenthesis" and related topics at Britannica.com

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols