marginalia
Say it: mar-jih-NAY-lee-uh /ˌmɑːdʒɪˈneɪliə/ · noun
What “marginalia” means
Notes or comments written beside the main writing in a book.
More precisely: Notes and comments written in the margins of a book.
Example: “The second-hand copy came with someone's witty marginalia.”
When to use it
When discussing readers' notes in books, especially in literary study or a friendly conversation about second-hand finds.
Memory trick
The margin is the edge of the page; marginalia live there.
Similar words
annotations, notes, glosses
Where it comes from
Medieval Latin, from Latin margo 'margin, edge'.
Quick check
You borrow a novel and find a reader's comments squeezed beside the printed paragraphs. What are those comments called?
marginalia or footnotes?
Show the answer
marginalia
Learn 5 new words a day in Kinquire. Each with a picture, how to say it, an example and a quick check, then spaced review so you actually keep them. Free to start.
Learn “marginalia”