Bracket

A bracket is a tall punctuation mark typically used in matched pairs within text, to set apart or interject other text. Used unqualified, brackets refer to different types of brackets in different parts of the world and in different contexts.

Brackets include round brackets/parentheses, square brackets, curly brackets, angle brackets, and various other pairs of symbols.

In addition to referring to the class of all types of brackets, the unqualified word bracket is most commonly used to refer to a specific type of bracket. In modern American usage this is usually the square bracket and in modern British usage this is usually the parenthesis.

History

Chevrons (< >) were the earliest type of bracket to appear in written English. Desiderius Erasmus coined the term lunula to refer to the rounded parentheses (), recalling the shape of the crescent moon.

Names for various bracket symbols

Some of the following names are regional or contextual.

Bracket (band)

Bracket is an American rock band from Forestville, California formed in 1992. The lineup consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Marty Gregori, bassist and backing vocalist Zack Charlos, drummer Ray Castro, and guitarist and backing vocalist Angelo Celli, who replaced Larry Tinney in 1998. Bracket has issued numerous albums, EPs and singles since its inception, including many releases for Caroline Records and Fat Wreck Chords. Their sound could most easily be described as power pop influenced punk rock with a continued focus on vocal harmonies.

Bracket emerged during the pop punk resurgence of the early 1990s and released its first two albums 924 Forestville St. (1994) and 4-Wheel Vibe (1995) on Caroline Records. Following a staff shake-up, the label dropped the group and cancelled the release of its third album Like You Know in 1996. Bracket's next two albums Novelty Forever (1997) and When All Else Fails (2000) were put out by Fat Wreck Chords, who had previously issued 7-inch vinyl for the band. Having completed multiple tours of the United States and trips to Canada, Europe and Japan throughout their career, Bracket released Live in a Dive (2002) which gathered some of the band's best-known material into one performance. After building their own studio, the group took several years to write, record and self-produce its sixth album Requiem (2006), released by Takeover Records. Bracket began work on a new album in 2011, detailing each stage of the recording process on its official Facebook page.Like You Know and the three volume rarities collection Rare Cuts were issued as digital downloads in 2013 to help fund the band's upcoming projects. Bracket's new album Hold Your Applause was released in August 2014, while progress has continued on an additional forthcoming album.

Bracket (mathematics)

In mathematics, various typographical forms of brackets are frequently used in mathematical notation such as parentheses ( ), square brackets [ ], braces { }, and angle brackets . In the typical use, a mathematical expression is enclosed between an "opening bracket" and a matching "closing bracket". Generally such bracketing denotes some form of grouping: in evaluating an expression containing a bracketed sub-expression, the operators in the sub-expression take precedence over those surrounding it. Additionally, there are several uses and meanings for the various brackets.

Historically, other notations, such as the vinculum, were similarly used for grouping; in present-day use, these notations all have specific meanings. The earliest use of brackets to indicate aggregation (i.e. grouping) was suggested in 1608 by Christopher Clavius and in 1629 by Albert Girard.

In the Z formal specification language, braces denote a set and angle brackets denote a sequence.

Symbols for representing angle brackets

Hermit

A hermit (adjectival form: eremitic or hermitic) is a person who lives in seclusion from society.

Description

In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament (i.e., the 40 years wandering in the desert that was meant to bring about a change of heart).

In the Christian tradition the heremitic life is an early form of monastic living that preceded the monastic life in the cenobium. The Rule of St Benedict (ch. 1) lists hermits among four kinds of monks. In the Roman Catholic Church, in addition to hermits who are members of religious institutes, the Canon law (canon 603) recognizes also consecrated hermits under the direction of their diocesan bishop as members of the consecrated life. The same is true in many parts of the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church in the US, although in the canon law of the Episcopal Church they are referred to as "solitaries" rather than "hermits".

Hermit (horse)

Hermit (1864–1890), sometimes known, incorrectly as "The Hermit", was a 19th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from April 1866 until July 1869 he ran 23 times and won eight races. He was a leading two-year-old in 1866 and won the 1867 Epsom Derby, despite breaking down in training shortly before the race. He continued to race until the age of five, but never recovered his form after running three times in three days at Doncaster in September 1867. After his retirement he had a long and highly successful career at stud.

Breeding

Hermit was a "yellowish" chestnut stallion standing about 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) high with a narrow white blaze. He was by the stallion Newminster who won the St Leger in 1851 before going on to a successful stud career in which his other notable winners included Musjid (Epsom Derby) and Lord Clifden (St Leger, Champion sire). Hermit's dam was Seclusion a winning daughter of Tadmor. Hermit's sire and dam were both bleeders and passed the condition on to Hermit. By contemporary accounts, Hermit was a good-natured horse with a gentle disposition.

Cookie

A cookie is a small, flat, sweet, baked good, usually containing flour, eggs, sugar, and either butter, cooking oil or another oil or fat. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips or nuts.

In most English-speaking countries except for the US and Canada, crisp cookies are called biscuits. Chewier cookies are commonly called cookies even in the UK. Some cookies may also be named by their shape, such as date squares or bars.

Cookies may be mass-produced in factories, made in small bakeries or home-made. Cookie variants include sandwich cookies, which are using two thin cookies with a filling of creme (e.g., Oreos), marshmallow or jam and dipping the cookie in chocolate or another sweet coating. Cookies are often served with beverages such as milk, coffee or tea. Factory-made cookies are sold in grocery stores, convenience stores and vending machines. Fresh-baked cookies are sold at bakeries and coffeehouses, with the latter ranging from small business-sized establishments to multinational corporations such as Starbucks.