bracket etymology

Etymology

The word "bracket" comes from the Middle English word "braket," which in turn is derived from the Old French word "brachet," meaning "arm." This is because brackets were originally used as supports for shelves or other objects.

Meaning

• A pair of punctuation marks ([]) used to enclose a word, phrase, or sentence that is added to or explains the main text.
• A group of people or things that are ranked or compared together.
• A tournament or competition in which contestants are paired off in a series of rounds, with the winners of each round advancing to the next.
• A support or frame used to hold something in place.

Origin

Brackets were first used in the 15th century to indicate a parenthesis or interpolation. They were originally written as a pair of square brackets, but the rounded brackets [()] became more common in the 18th century.

The use of brackets to indicate a tournament or competition dates back to the 18th century. The term "bracket" was first used in this sense in 1754, referring to a tournament in which the contestants were arranged in a series of pairs, with the winners of each pair advancing to the next round.

The use of brackets as a support or frame dates back to the 19th century. The term "bracket" was first used in this sense in 1837, referring to a support for a shelf.

bracket relate terms

• breeches

  Etymology Middle English breeches from Old English brec plural a garment worn by

• pants

  Etymology The word pants is derived from the French word pantalon which in turn is

• crotchet

  Etymology The word crotchet has several possible etymologies French From Middle Fr

• crank

  Etymology Middle English cranken from Old English cranc a bend turn or twist

• bracket

  Etymology The word bracket comes from the Middle English word braket which in turn i

• brag

  Etymology The word brag originates from the Old Norse word bragr which means boast

• console

  Etymology The word console is derived from the Latin term consolari meaning to comf

• Angle

  Etymology The word angle comes from the Old English word angel meaning hook Mea

• sustain

  Etymology Latin sustinēre to hold up sustain endure Proto Indo European steh₂

• redact

  Etymology Late Latin redactus past participle of redigere to bring back restore re

• truss

  Etymology Middle English trus Old French trus beam support Late Latin trabs beam

• hold up

  Etymology Hold up is an idiomatic phrase that originated in the early 19th century It

• hold

  Etymology Old English healdan Proto West Germanic haldan Proto Germanic haldaną P

• punctuation

  Etymology The word punctuation originates from the Latin verb pungere which means t

• group

  Etymology The word group comes from the Old French word groupe which in turn comes f

• diet

  Etymology The word diet comes from the Greek word diaita which means way of life o