parenthesis
noun ( plural parentheses /-ˌsēz/)
Origin:
mid 16th century: via late Latin from Greek, from parentithenai 'put in beside'
Grammar
When something is put ‘in parenthesis’ it is separated off from the main part of the sentence by a pair of parentheses, commas, or dashes. This is usually because it contains information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the sentence:With stores routinely stocking vegetables our grandparents never heard of (like arugula and Ichiban eggplant), the American produce department has become a nonseasonal cornucopia without borders. or because they form a comment by the author on the rest of the sentence:Exotic vegetables, say the grocers (and they mean produce unfamiliar to our grandparents), become rapidly less exotic as supplies meet consumers' demands. Parentheses are the most formal (and most obvious) way of showing parenthesis. Commas are less forceful:With stores routinely stocking vegetables our grandparents never heard of, like arugula and Ichiban eggplant, the American produce department has become a nonseasonal cornucopia without borders. Dashes are the least formal:With stores routinely stocking vegetables our grandparents never heard of—like arugula and Ichiban eggplant—the American produce department has become a nonseasonal cornucopia without borders.
