Parenthesis Definition

Origin of Parenthesis

• Either indirectly via Middle French parenthese or directly from Late Latin parenthesis (“addition of a letter to a syllable in a word"), from Ancient Greek παρένθεσις (parenthesis), from παρεντίθημι (parentithÄ“mi, “I put in beside, mix up"), from παρά (para, “beside") + ἐν (en, “in") + τίθημι (tithÄ“mi, “put, place") (from Proto-Indo-European base *dhe- "to put, to do").

  From Wiktionary

• Late Latin insertion of a letter or syllable in a word from Greek from parentithenai to insert para- beside para–¹ en- in en in Indo-European roots tithenai to put dhē- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition