Klammerung

Klammerung is a German noun derived from the verb klammern, meaning to bracket or clamp. It refers to the act or result of enclosing text, terms, or symbols with brackets, parentheses, or braces to indicate grouping, scope, or separation. The concept is used across writing, mathematics, and computer science to clarify structure and reduce ambiguity.

In typography and writing, Klammerung describes the use of parentheses or brackets to insert supplementary information, clarifications, or optional elements within a sentence or paragraph. Parenthetical material is typically set off from the surrounding text to indicate that it is not essential to the main point, while still providing useful detail or examples.

In mathematics and logic, Klammerung denotes the grouping of terms with parentheses to specify the order of operations. For example, in the expression (2 + 3) × 4, the parentheses indicate that the sum should be computed before the multiplication, overriding default precedence. Brackets and braces may also be used to denote sets, intervals, or nested expressions.

In computing and programming, Klammerung refers to the use of parentheses, brackets, and braces to define the structure of expressions and commands. Correct bracketing is essential for parsers to interpret code unambiguously, and many languages rely on specific bracketing rules to denote function calls, arrays, blocks, or scopes.

See also: brackets, parentheses, braces, operator precedence, typography.