bracket English · revision 15459

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=1574|origins=la brāca}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbɹækɪt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an alteration of earlier bragget,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) probably [[bor|frm|braguette|t=codpiece]] or [[es|bragueta|t=codpiece, bracket, corbel]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021) a diminutive of [[m|frm|brague|t=breeches]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) from [[pro|braga]], from [[la|brāca|t=breeches]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) of Gaulish origin, perhaps from Germanic (compare Old English [[m|ang|brōc]]; see [[breeches]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The architectural bracket was apparently named for its resemblance to a codpiece,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) and a mistaken link with [[la|bracchium|t=arm]] seems to have influenced the spelling.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A support projecting from a wall: bragget in 1580 in Barnhart and the OED, the 1570s in Etymonline, 1574 in Merriam-Webster;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) bracket in 1627, in Captain John Smith.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A small wall shelf is from 1635.^(OED 1989) The printing marks [ ] and ( ) are brackets from 1750,^(OED 1989) earlier called braces, in the 18th century.^(Hoad 1986) The verb, to enclose in brackets, is from 1797, to couple things together from 1807,^(Etymonline) and in artillery to fire shots over and short of a target to find the range from 1903.^(Etymonline)^(AHD) A group classed together, as an income or tax bracket, is from 1880.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1580 – bragget, a support.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1627 – bracket.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1750 – printing brackets.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1797 – to bracket (verb).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1880 – a bracket of equals.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf or other weight; a [[corbel]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Either of a pair of marks, ( ) or [ ], used to enclose words or figures.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A group or range within a scale: ''the higher tax bracket''.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To enclose in brackets.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To group or classify together.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To fire over and short of a target to find the range.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[angle bracket]]

+ * [[bracket clock]]

+ * [[bracket creep]]

+ * [[bracket fungus]]

+ * [[square bracket]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[breeches]]

+ * [[brace]]

+ * [[braccae]]

+ * [[corbel]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}