parathesis
parathesis noun: the placing of two or more nouns in the same case; apposition.
Noun
parathesis (countable and uncountable, plural paratheses)
- The placing of two or more nouns in the same case; apposition.
- Both parathesis and suntaxis are constructions but they are never treated as constituents within larger constructions.2007, Keith Allan, The Western Classical Tradition in Linguistics, page 102
- A parenthetical notice, usually of matter to be afterward expanded.
- After all his Theses and their Applications, his Correspondent Alpha's and Beta's, his perplex'd Paragraphs, his intricate Paratheses, and his tædious Citations, what Doctrine of the Church of Rome has he establish'd, or what principle of Ours has he disprov'd?1687, George Smalridge, Animadversions on the Eight Theses Laid Down, page 5
- The Parathesis distinguisheth and sets aside within two half-squares some word or words , which are to be farther explained1712, William Innys, A Catalogue of Books Printed for and Sold by William Innys
- The matter contained within brackets.
- A thorough examination of a topic, juxtaposing both thesis and antithesis in order to achieve a final synthesis.
- In their public discourse (books, articles, brochures, press releases), lawyers address these provisions in long paratheses, where each provision and its interpretation is added to the previous, until a specific theme (.e.g. surveillance vs privacy) is exhausted.2014, Christos Boukalas, Homeland Security, its Law and its State
- The chaos of the medieval town and the clarity of its centre dominated by the cathedral and its surrounding market place replicate the subtle and simultaneous antithesis-synthesis (the parathesis) of the harmonious City of God and the fractious City of Man.2016, Peter Murphy, The Collective Imagination
- An abstract idea that embodies a shared social worldview.
- European Union, the redeeming parathesis of Europe's higher unity, is not a federation or a confederation, actual or potential, but a state of mind.2000, Alan Dashwood, Angela Ward, Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies Vol 2, 1999, page 59
- The central focus of the parathesis society is an idea of the common wealth, the common interest and the common destiny of the society and its members. The central focus of the parathesis nation is an idea of common identity, the unity, and the common destiny of the society and its members. The...2002, Philip Allott, The Health of Nations: Society and Law Beyond the State, page 246
Examples of parathesis in a sentence
- Parathesis is a distinctive feature of Otranto 's punctuation, and, like the variable dashes, gives the narrative the air of a playtext.2014, Horace Walpole, Nick Groom, The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story, page 115:
- The central focus of the parathesis society is an idea of the common wealth, the common interest and the common destiny of the society and its members.2002, Philip Allott, The Health of Nations: Society and Law Beyond the State, page 246:
- The development of the antithetical parathesis is therefore the development of Marxism throughout the history of its embodiment in Russia.2017, Catherine Paradeise, Marketing Democracy, page 308:
Forms of parathesis
| plural | paratheses |
|---|
Origin of parathesis
From Ancient Greek παράθεσις (paráthesis, “putting beside”).
Words formed from parathesis
Questions about parathesis
- What does parathesis mean?
- Parathesis means the placing of two or more nouns in the same case; apposition.
- How do you use parathesis in a sentence?
- Parathesis is a distinctive feature of Otranto 's punctuation, and, like the variable dashes, gives the narrative the air of a playtext.
- What part of speech is parathesis?
- Parathesis is a noun.
- What is the plural of parathesis?
- The plural of parathesis is paratheses.
Words near parathesis in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: parathesis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “parathesis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/parathesis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
