parens
Curved punctuation pair
Parens is informal shorthand for parentheses—the curved marks ( ) used to enclose supplementary material in writing: The citation goes in parens at the end of the sentence.
Common in technical and academic contexts where the full word feels cumbersome.
In programming and math, parens group operations or contain function arguments.
Marks setting off text
- round bracketsCurved punctuation pair
- delimitersCharacters marking boundaries
- punctuation marksSymbols clarifying written meaning
- enclosuresBounded spaces or containers
braces · square brackets · angle brackets · quotation marks · commas · dashes · em dash · ellipsis
Making a dwelling
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
- order of operationsMathematical calculation sequence
- codeSymbolic communication system
programming · arguments · parameters · tuple · list · array · LaTeX · markup
Brief theatrical digression
- digressionVeering off topic
- interjectionEmotional outcry word class
- interpolationEstimating between known values
- afterthoughtIdea added belatedly
Statement making something clear
- annotationAdded explanatory comment
- glossShine or annotation
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
- disambiguationRemoving uncertainty about meaning
definition · specification · qualification · exemplification · illustration · expansion · detail · context
brackets
Marks setting off text
- round bracketsCurved punctuation pair
- delimitersCharacters marking boundaries
- punctuation marksSymbols clarifying written meaning
enclosures · braces · square brackets · angle brackets · quotation marks · commas · dashes · em dash · ellipsis
nesting
Making a dwelling
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
- order of operationsMathematical calculation sequence
code · programming · arguments · parameters · tuple · list · array · LaTeX · markup · regex
aside
Brief theatrical digression
- digressionVeering off topic
- interjectionEmotional outcry word class
- interpolationEstimating between known values
afterthought · tangent · subordinate clause · explanatory note · insertion
explanation
Statement making something clear
- annotationAdded explanatory comment
- glossShine or annotation
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
disambiguation · definition · specification · qualification · exemplification · illustration · expansion · detail · context · reference
parenssquare brackets
Punctuation enclosing insertions
brackets · braces · curly braces · angle brackets · chevrons
- single parentUnpartnered mother or father
- foster parentTemporary guardian of another's child
- parental controlsSettings limiting child access
- parental guidanceAdvisory for young viewers
- parent-teacher organizationSchool-family liaison group
- parental unitsSlang for parents
parent, parenting, parental, parentage, parenthesis, parentheses