Dictionary De - En
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De - Pt| English Dictionary: parenthesis | by the DICT Development Group |
| 2 results for parenthesis | |
| From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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| From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
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Parenthesis \Pa*ren"the*sis\, n.; pl. {Parentheses}. [NL., fr. Gr. [?], fr. [?] to put in beside, insert; [?] beside + [?] in + [?] to put, place. See {Para-}, {En-}, 2, and {Thesis}.] 1. A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually inclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. [bd]Seldom mentioned without a derogatory parenthesis.[b8] --Sir T. Browne. Don't suffer every occasional thought to carry you away into a long parenthesis. --Watts. 2. (Print.) One of the curved lines () which inclose a parenthetic word or phrase. Note: Parenthesis, in technical grammar, is that part of a sentence which is inclosed within the recognized sign; but many phrases and sentences which are punctuated by commas are logically parenthetical. In def. 1, the phrase [bd]by way of comment or explanation[b8] is inserted for explanation, and the sentence would be grammatically complete without it. The present tendency is to avoid using the distinctive marks, except when confusion would arise from a less conspicuous separation. | |
