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bracket

Pronunciation: /ˈbɹækɪt/

The English word “bracket” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A fixture attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.
  2. Any intermediate object that connects a smaller part to a larger part, the smaller part typically projecting sideways from the larger part.
  3. A short crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support.
  4. The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage, supporting the trunnions.
  5. “(” and “)” specifically, the other forms above requiring adjectives for disambiguation.
  6. “[” and “]” specifically, as opposed to the other forms, which have their own technical names.
  7. A diagram of games in a tournament.
  8. A prediction of the outcome of games in a tournament, used for betting purposes.
  9. One of several ranges of numbers.
  10. A pair of values that represent the smallest and largest elements of a range.
  11. Typically of stationary weapons, the zone enclosed by one long and one short shot impact expected to be hit very accurately.
  12. The small curved or angular corner formed by a serif and a stroke in a letter.
  13. a mark cut into a stone by land surveyors to secure a bench.

verb

  1. To support by means of mechanical brackets.
  2. To enclose in typographical brackets.
  3. To bound on both sides, to surround, as enclosing with brackets.
  4. To place in the same category.
  5. To mark distinctly for special treatment.
  6. To set aside, discount, ignore.
  7. To gauge the range of a target by firing equally short and long of it and ranging the weapon between the two to achieve a very accurate hit.

Etymology

From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), from Old Occitan braga, from Latin brāca (“pants”), from Transalpine Gaulish *brāca, from Proto-Germanic *brāks, an early form of Proto-Germanic *brōks…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.