bracket

[ brak-it ]

noun

1. a support, as of metal or wood, projecting from a wall or the like to hold or bear the weight of a shelf, part of a cornice, etc.
2. a shelf or shelves so supported.
3. a square bracket or a curly bracket.
4. Mathematics.
   1. brackets, parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit.
   2. (loosely) vinculum ( def 2 ).
   3. Informal. an expression or formula between a pair of brackets.
5. a grouping of people based on the amount of their income:

   the low-income bracket.

6. a class; grouping; classification:

   She travels in a different social bracket.

7. Sports. a diagram that tracks the process of elimination among sequentially paired opponents in a tournament.
8. Architecture.
   1. any horizontally projecting support for an overhanging weight, as a corbel, cantilever, or console.
   2. any of a series of fancifully shaped false consoles beneath an ornamental cornice.
9. (on a staircase) an ornamental piece filling the angle between a riser and its tread.
10. Shipbuilding.
    1. a flat plate, usually triangular with a flange on one edge, used to unite and reinforce the junction between two flat members or surfaces meeting at an angle.
    2. any member for reinforcing the angle between two members or surfaces.
11. a projecting fixture for gas or electricity.
12. Gunnery. range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets.
2. to place within brackets; couple with a brace.
3. to associate, mention, or class together:

   Gossip columnists often bracket them together, so a wedding may be imminent.

4. Gunnery. to place (shots) both beyond and short of a target.
5. Photography. to take (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure.

bracket

/ ˈbrækɪt /

noun

1. an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc
2. one or more wall shelves carried on brackets
3. See console, ancon, corbel
   architect a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure See also corbel ancon console 2
4. Also calledsquare bracket either of a pair of characters, [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text
5. See brace, square bracket, parenthesis
   a general name for parenthesis square bracket brace
6. a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits

   the lower income bracket

7. the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding
8. a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape ⋎

verb

1. to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets
2. to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text
3. to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace
4. often foll by with to group or class together

   to bracket Marx with the philosophers

5. to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit

Other Words From

• un·brack·et·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bracket¹

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier brag(g)et, from Middle French braguette “codpiece,” diminutive of Old Provençal braga “breeches” ( brogue ²( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bracket¹

C16: from Old French braguette codpiece, diminutive of bragues breeches, from Old Provençal braga , from Latin brāca breeches

Example Sentences

Under that new system, teams with the misfortune of ranking outside the top four seeds in their conference were forced to play an extra round to even qualify for the regular 16-team bracket.

From FiveThirtyEight

If the bracket were seeded today based on the BracketMatrix aggregate, Loyola would be the second-best double-digit seed of the past 20 seasons, trailing only — of course — Wichita State.

From FiveThirtyEight

When companies signed the Presidency Reemployment Agreement in 1933, they agreed to wage brackets and price caps.

From Quartz

The engine had been removed, “but its mounting brackets, as well as the fuel and oxidizer tanks, were still in place,” recalled Finer.

From MIT Technology Review

Using the seedings from that consensus bracket, we can simulate the outcome by estimating the number of possessions for each team and, using the team’s adjusted offensive rating found at Ken Pomeroy’s site, project a scoring margin for each matchup.

From Washington Post

Even at the age bracket where men and women appear closest in frequency, there is nothing remotely close to masturbation parity.

From The Daily Beast

Do you fill out one bracket or different brackets for each pool?

From The Daily Beast

I just go with that same bracket and I usually enter that into multiple pools.

From The Daily Beast

Are you cool with your bracket getting ruined if UCLA wins the national title?

From The Daily Beast

People ask me this: Would you trade UCLA winning the national championship for not winning the bracket challenge?

From The Daily Beast

A lovely bracket of carved wood fixed to the wall held a cheap cuckoo-clock from Switzerland.

From Project Gutenberg

Rather hard on politicians this, to bracket their patriotic endeavours with pitch-and-toss and alcoholic indulgence!

From Project Gutenberg

Beside the font is a very quaint iron bracket-stand, painted blue and gold, "constructed to carry" two candles.

From Project Gutenberg

And please do not think when I thus seem to bracket myself with you, that I am wholly blinded with vanity.

From Project Gutenberg

He turned into a side street, at the corner of which was a broken lamp bracket used for hanging a man not a week ago.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• category