PARENTHESIS

(ADDITIONAL PHRASE) [noun] [C] [plural] parentheses - a remark which is added to a sentence, often to provide an explanation or additional information, and which is separated from the main part of the sentence by commas, brackets or dashesThe sentence 'Her youngest sister - the one who lives in Australia - is coming over next summer' contains a parenthesis.If, while you are talking, you say something in parenthesis, you say it as an addition and then continue with the main part of the sentence.Of his origins he said very little, merely mentioning in parenthesis that his background was poor.