Translingual

Symbol

{ }

1. (mathematics) Encloses a mathematical phrase which has increased operator precedence.

   10/2+3 = 5+3 = 8

   10/{2+3} = 10/5 = 2

2. (set theory) Encloses a set.

   Set of positive divisors of 6 = {1, 2, 3}.

   The set of even numbers can be written as { n ∊ ℤ : ∃ k ∊ ℤ: n = 2k } .

3. (set theory) Empty set.

   Set of natural numbers between 2 and 3 = { }.

4. (programming) Used in some programming languages.
   1. Encloses the body of a function.

      doSomethingTwice () { return doSomething () + doSomething () }

   2. Encloses each branch of a conditional.

      if (x>4) { result = "congratulations!" }

Related terms

• (mathematical precedence) ( ), [ ]

Punctuation mark

{ }

1. Encloses a series of equal choices.

   Select your animal {goat, sheep, cow, horse} and follow me.

Usage notes

In English, this symbol is called curly brackets or braces.

See also

• Bracket on Wikipedia.Wikipedia