/ pəˈrenθəsɪs; NAmE / noun ( pl. par·en·theses / -əsiːz; NAmE /)
1.
a word, sentence, etc. that is added to a speech or piece of writing, especially in order to give extra information. In writing, it is separated from the rest of the text using brackets, commas or dashes .
2.
[ usually pl. ] ( NAmE or formal ) = bracket :
Irregular forms are given in parentheses .
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek , from parentithenai put in beside.