Parenthesis Meaning: Definition and Examples

Literature

• Writers often use parentheses to add authors' notes or afterthoughts without interrupting the flow of a story.
• Famous authors like Jane Austen utilized parentheticals to add humor or sarcasm in their novels.
• In poetry, parentheses can create rhythm variations and add playful elements to the reading experience.

Mathematics

• In math, parentheses indicate which calculations to perform first in a sequence, helping avoid confusion.
• The use of parentheses in equations can change entire outcomes, reflecting their importance in order of operations.
• Commonly, a pair of parentheses is used to encapsulate variables or numbers for clarity in complex formulas.

Pop Culture

• In comic strips, the use of parentheses often conveys thoughts or side comments from characters, adding depth to dialogue.
• Television shows often utilize parentheses during subtitles to indicate sounds or actions that are not explicitly spoken.
• Popular memes sometimes play with the idea of using parentheses for humorous effects, emphasizing the contrast between spoken and 'hidden' thoughts.

Psychology

• Using parentheses can help individuals express their inner thoughts or feelings in writing while keeping them somewhat detached from the main narrative.
• In therapy and journaling, individuals might often place their emotions or thoughts in parentheses to explore them without fully integrating them into their main narrative.
• Research suggests that using parenthetical expressions can aid cognitive processing, allowing readers to better understand complex ideas.

Main points about word origin

• The word comes from the Greek 'parenthesis', meaning 'to place beside'.
• It was introduced into English in the late 16th century, reflecting its use in scholarly writing.
• In the Greek language, 'para' means 'beside' and 'thesis' means 'putting', referring to the placement of additional information beside the main text.

The word 'parenthesis' comes from the Greek word 'parenthesis', which means 'to place beside'. The roots of the word are 'para' meaning 'beside' and 'enthesis' meaning 'putting in'. The term was adopted into English in the late 16th century and has been used to describe the function of this punctuation mark in writing, which serves to insert additional information without disrupting the main flow of a sentence. As written language evolved, so did the usage of parentheses, becoming an essential tool for writers to add clarifications, examples, or explanations. The formal use of parentheses in academic and literary contexts underscores their significance in enriching written discourse.

With rank #18,845, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.

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