square bracket
1
3.7
- noun
- /skwɛr ˈbrækɪt/
:
corchete
- The best way to avoid this is to wrap your source code in source tags, but using square brackets rather than curly brackets.
Examples
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It's using the square bracket here into the word, OK.
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In this notation, square brackets are used for phones or specific utterances. #2
Academic text (2012) -
So I say dictionary name, square bracket, custom index.
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I'll put his comments in square brackets, since more apostrophes would be confusing.
Blog text (5) -
Explanatory comments, when added, have been inserted in square brackets; any deletions are indicated by ellipsis points.
Fiction book (1996) -
Square brackets are interchangeable with parentheses but are used by convention in certain contexts, such as grouping a field name with modifiers.
Academic text (2012) -
The teacher explained that any additional information should be placed in square brackets.
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In programming, values that change are often enclosed in square brackets to denote arrays.
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When citing sources, you should include the author's name in square brackets next to the quote.
Synonyms
8
3.7
A pair of square marks used to enclose extra words or numbers in text
1
1.3
A symbol like a period or comma that separates sentences and shows meaning
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'square' (shaped with right angles) + 'bracket' (a punctuation mark), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the [ and ] punctuation. This is a transparent, compositional compound and the same logic appears in many languages, making it readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun square bracket comes from the mark's shape: it looks like a small corner of a box, so the parts square and bracket point to that shape. Printers and writers used these brackets to 'hold' or show added or grouped words, so square brackets now mean the marks [ and ] that 'enclose' extra text.