Jump to:

• parens
  parens

  plural noun

  parentheses.
• parens.
  parens.

  abbreviation

  parentheses.

parens

¹ American  

[puh-renz] / pəˈrɛnz /

plural noun

Informal.

1. parentheses.

   The entire sentence should be in parens.

---

parens. ² American  

abbreviation

1. parentheses.

---

Usage

What does parens mean? Parens is an informal shortening of the term parentheses. Parens look like (  ). They are used mostly in writing, mathematics, and computer programming. In writing, parens are punctuation marks used to enclose text that gives secondary information to the sentence, as in Jonah (the person who sat alone in the back) really liked the play. In mathematics, parens are used to group numbers and to denote multiplication. In operator precedence (the order of operations in math), calculations within parens are completed first. In computer programming, parens are used for a variety of reasons, depending on the coding language. For example, parens are sometimes used to separate words, numbers, or data visually or to relay those characters to a function or process of the program. While use of the term parens is largely to save time and space, in some coding functions, data will only be taken from parentheses if the code uses the term parens instead of parentheses. Occasionally in computer programming, the term will be used in its singular (paren). Example: I did well on my history paper except that I totally forgot to use parens in the cites.

Etymology

Origin of parens

By shortening

Example Sentences

It was all about protecting the reputation of the Church, and then, in parens, keeping it secret.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 8, 2015

You’ll see your name inside parens, my friends.

From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2015

The AGs often file such cases, as the Mississippi attorney general did in this case, under the doctrine of parens patriae.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2013

If he groups three odd numbers in parens, the resulting sum is odd, and the multiplication of them is odd, which again leaves five odd numbers.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2012

"Ortu magna; viro major; sed maxima prole; Hic jacet Henrici filia, sponsa, parens."

From Notes and Queries, Number 195, July 23, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Bell, George