paren

Paren is a shorthand term for parenthesis, a punctuation mark used to enclose words or figures that are aside from the main text. A pair of parens consists of an open parenthesis "(" and a close parenthesis ")". In writing, parens indicate an aside, an optional comment, or material appended within a sentence. In mathematics and logic, parentheses denote grouping to indicate order of operations and function arguments. In programming, parentheses appear in numerous syntax patterns, such as function calls, conditionals, and expressions; many languages require balanced pairs.

Originating from the Greek word parénthesis through Latin and French, the term describes insertion marks that set apart material from the surrounding text. In typography, curved forms are the most common, though straight variants and different sizes exist in other typefaces and contexts. The distinction between parentheses, brackets, and braces is preserved in most languages; parentheses are round, brackets are square, braces are curly, with niche uses for each.

Spelling and usage vary by field. The standard plural is "parentheses"; "paren" or "parens" appears in informal writing, particularly in computing, to mean one or more parentheses. In editing, parenthetical material is described as being within parentheses; in programming and data formats, escaping may be required to include a paren in a string.