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parentesi

parenthesis

noun pah-REN-teh-zee Rare
Communication Writing

Origin: From Greek parenthesis (insertion beside), via Latin.

Also means

digression

Usage Note

Parentesi is an invariable noun — both singular and plural are parentesi. As a punctuation mark it refers to a round bracket. Figuratively una parentesi means an interlude or aside: è stata una bella parentesi ('it was a nice interlude'). The phrase tra parentesi means both 'in brackets' and 'by the way / incidentally'.

Examples

"Metti la data tra parentesi."

Natural Translation

Put the date in brackets.

Literal Translation

Put the date between parentheses.

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