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What is "parenthetical"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
parenthetical
adjective
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ The help given by the police department is briefly acknowledged in a parenthetical comment.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ For example, Dickens is fond of parenthetical constructions which allow the generalizing authorial voice to interrupt the narrative flow.
▪ To avoid interrupting the flow of the main text, occasional bits of parenthetical material appear as footnotes.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
parenthetical

parenthetic \par`en*thet"ic\ (p[a^]r`[e^]n*th[e^]t"[i^]k), parenthetical \par`en*thet"ic*al\ (p[a^]r`[e^]n*th[e^]t"[i^]*kal), a. [Cf. Gr. pare`nqetos.]

  1. Of the nature of a parenthesis; pertaining to, or expressed in, or as if in, a parenthesis; as, a parenthetical clause; a parenthetic remark; a parenthetical style. [WordNet sense 1]

    A parenthetical observation of Moses himself.
    --Hales.

  2. Using or containing parentheses.

  3. Added within parentheses to amplify or explain; as, parenthetical remarks. [WordNet sense 2]

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
parenthetical

1620s, from Medieval Latin parentheticus from Greek parenthetos "put in beside," verbal adjective from parentithenai; see parenthesis) + -al (1). Related: Parenthetically.

Wiktionary
parenthetical

a. 1 using, containing, or within parentheses (like this) 2 that explains or qualifies something 3 that is incidental n. a word or phrase within parentheses

WordNet
parenthetical

  1. adj. as if using parentheses; "a parenthetical style" [syn: parenthetic]

  2. qualifying or explaining; placed or as if placed in parentheses; "parenthetical remarks" [syn: parenthetic]

parenthetical

n. an expression in parentheses; "his writing was full of parentheticals" [syn: parenthetical expression]

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "parenthetical".

Then (with this last, parenthetical, over-the-shoulder glance at Andromeda and my fond dream of rejuvenation: difficult dead once-darling, fare you well!