| Parenthesis 1. (n.) A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually enclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. 2. (n.) One of the curved lines () which enclose a parenthetic word or phrase. Thesaurus Entries anastrophe, aside, broken thread, brokenness, chiasmus, disconnectedness, disconnection, discontinuance, discontinuation, discontinuity, discontinuousness, discreteness, disjunction, episode, fitfulness, hypallage, hyperbaton, hysteron proteron, incoherence, incompleteness, infix, injection, insert, insertion, insinuation, intercalation, interjection, interlineation, interlocution, intermittence, interpolation, introduction, irregularity, metastasis, metathesis, non sequitur, noncontinuance, nonlinearity, nonseriality, nonuniformity, obiter dictum, palindrome, remark, side remark, synchysis, tmesis, tossing-in |