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parenthesis
pa·ren·the·sis / pəˈren[unvoicedth]əsis/ • n. (pl. -ses / -ˌsēz/ ) a word, clause, or sentence inserted as an explanation or afterthought into a passage that is grammatically complete without it, in writing usually marked off by curved brackets, dashes, or commas. ∎ (usu. parentheses) one or both of a pair of marks ( ) used to include such a word, clause, or sentence. ∎ an interlude or interval: the three months of coalition government were a lamentable political parenthesis. PHRASES: in parenthesis as a digression or afterthought. ORIGIN: mid 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek, from parentithenai ‘put in beside.’ |
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Cite this article
"parenthesis." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "parenthesis." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-parenthesis.html "parenthesis." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-parenthesis.html |
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PARENTHESIS
PARENTHESIS [Stress: ‘pa-REN-the-sis’. Plural parentheses (‘-seez’)].
1. In GRAMMAR, a qualifying, explanatory, or appositional word, phrase, clause, or sentence that interrupts a construction without otherwise affecting it. A written or printed parenthesis may be marked by pairs of COMMAS, DASHES, or round BRACKETS/parentheses: Our new manager (he has just this minute arrived) would like to meet you. A spoken parenthesis has the same intonation as an aside. 2. In the plural, a name for round brackets: the general term in AmE, but a less common, more technical term in BrE (short form parens). See ACADEMIC USAGE, ASIDE. |
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Cite this article
TOM McARTHUR. "PARENTHESIS." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "PARENTHESIS." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-PARENTHESIS.html TOM McARTHUR. "PARENTHESIS." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-PARENTHESIS.html |
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parenthesis
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T. F. HOAD. "parenthesis." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "parenthesis." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-parenthesis.html T. F. HOAD. "parenthesis." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-parenthesis.html |
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parenthesis
parenthesis see punctuation . |
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Cite this article
"parenthesis." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "parenthesis." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-parenthe.html "parenthesis." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-parenthe.html |
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parenthesis
parenthesis •glacis, Onassis
•abscess
•anaphylaxis, axis, praxis, taxis
•Chalcis • Jancis • synapsis • catharsis
•Frances, Francis
•thesis • Alexis • amanuensis
•prolepsis, sepsis, syllepsis
•basis, oasis, stasis
•amniocentesis, anamnesis, ascesis, catechesis, exegesis, mimesis, prosthesis, psychokinesis, telekinesis
•ellipsis, paralipsis
•Lachesis
•analysis, catalysis, dialysis, paralysis, psychoanalysis
•electrolysis • nemesis
•genesis, parthenogenesis, pathogenesis
•diaeresis (US dieresis) • metathesis
•parenthesis
•photosynthesis, synthesis
•hypothesis, prothesis
•crisis, Isis
•proboscis • synopsis
•apotheosis, chlorosis, cirrhosis, diagnosis, halitosis, hypnosis, kenosis, meiosis, metempsychosis, misdiagnosis, mononucleosis, myxomatosis, necrosis, neurosis, osmosis, osteoporosis, prognosis, psittacosis, psychosis, sclerosis, symbiosis, thrombosis, toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, tuberculosis
•archdiocese, diocese, elephantiasis, psoriasis
•anabasis • apodosis
•emphasis, underemphasis
•anamorphosis, metamorphosis
•periphrasis • entasis • protasis
•hypostasis, iconostasis
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Cite this article
"parenthesis." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "parenthesis." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-parenthesis.html "parenthesis." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-parenthesis.html |
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