parenthesis

noun [C]

/pəˈren.θə.sɪs/ (plural parentheses)

Definition

› a remark that is added to a sentence, often to provide an explanation or extra information, that is separated from the main part of the sentence by commas, brackets, or dashes: The sentence 'Her youngest sister - the one who lives in Australia - is coming over next summer' contains a parenthesis.Remarks and remarkingExpressing and asking opinions in parenthesis › If, while you are talking, you say something in parenthesis, you say it as something extra and then continue with the main part of the sentence: Of his origins he said very little, merely mentioning in parenthesis that his background was poor.Remarks and remarkingExpressing and asking opinions

(Definition of parenthesis noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)