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Definition of paren

paren

/ˈpær.ən/
par · en
Adverb:parenthetically
•
Plural:parens
•
Adjective:parenthetical
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paren Lexical Profile

paren Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

An informal shortening of parenthesis; either of the curved punctuation marks ( ) used to enclose text, mathematical expressions, or computer code, or the pair of marks taken together.

Example

"The compiler threw a syntax error because the developer forgot to add a closing paren at the end of the function call."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for paren

• Rhymes for paren

• Nearby Words

pardonable
pardonably
pare
paren
parent
parentage
parental

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the 20th century as an informal clipping of "parenthesis," originally used by printers and proofreaders and later popularized by computer programmers.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Paren. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/paren
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