Collins English-English Dictionary

bracket ['brækɪt]

1. 1. n an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc

2. 2. n square bracket either of a pair of characters, , used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text

3. 3. n one or more wall shelves carried on brackets

4. 4. n [architect] a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure - See also corbel ancon console

5. 5. n a general name for parenthesis square bracket brace

6. 6. n a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits

   the lower income bracket

7. 7. n the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding

8. 8. n a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape

9. 9. vt. [tr] to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets

10. 10. vt. to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text

11. 11. vt. to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace

12. 12. vt. [often foll by with] to group or class together

    to bracket Marx with the philosophers

13. 13. vt. to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit

14. 14. vt. [Etymology] C16: from Old French braguette codpiece, diminutive of bragues breeches, from Old Provençal braga, from Latin braca breeches