pəˈren(t)thəsə̇s noun
( plural parenthe·ses -əˌsēz)
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek, literally, action of inserting or interpolating, from parentithenai to insert, interpolate, from para- para- (I) + entithenai to put into, from en- en- (II) + tithenai to place, set — more at do
1.
a. : an amplifying or explanatory comment inserted in a passage to which it may be grammatically unrelated and from which it is usually set off by punctuation (as curved lines, commas, or dashes)
paused, at the end of this parenthesis , to draw breath — Christopher Isherwood
b. : a remark or passage that constitutes a departure from the theme of a discourse : digression
2. : interlude , interval
this sandy parenthesis — Thomas Wood †1950
the fate of mankind is an irrelevancy, a parenthesis of no importance — C.I.Glicksberg
3.
a. : one or both of the curved marks () used in writing and printing to enclose a parenthetic expression : bracket 4c
b. : such a curve used as one of a pair to indicate which operands in a logical or mathematical expression are to be grouped and treated as a unit — compare bracket 4a