bracket
brack·et / ˈbrakit/ • n. 1. each of a pair of marks [ ] used to enclose words or figures so as to separate them from the context: symbols are given in brackets. 2. a category of people or things that are similar or fall between specified limits: those in a high income bracket. 3. a right-angled support attached to and projecting from a wall for holding a shelf, lamp, or other object. ∎ a shelf fixed with such a support to a wall. • v. (-et·ed , -et·ing ) [tr.] 1. (usu. be bracketed) place (one or more people or things) in the same category or group: he is sometimes bracketed with the “new wave” of film directors. 2. enclose (words or figures) in brackets: [as adj.] (bracketed) the relevant data are included as bracketed points. ∎ Math. enclose (a complex expression) in brackets to denote that the whole of the expression rather than just a part of it has a particular relation, such as multiplication or division, to another expression. 3. hold or attach (something) by means of a right-angled support: pipes should be bracketed. 4. Mil. establish the range of (a target) by firing two preliminary shots, one short of the target and the other beyond it. ∎ Photog. establish (the correct exposure) by taking several pictures with slightly more or less exposure.