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parenthesismore about parenthesis

parenthesis


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  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.  ``Seldom  mentioned  without  a  derogatory 
  parenthesis.''  --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  ``by  way  of  comment  or  explanation''  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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  parenthesis 
  n  1:  either  of  two  punctuation  marks  (  or  )  used  to  enclose 
  textual  material 
  2:  a  message  that  departs  from  the  main  subject  [syn:  {digression}, 
  {aside},  {excursus},  {divagation}] 




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