Commentarii

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of notes or records that provide commentary or explanations about events or topics
2. A systematic account of some happenings or discussions, often used historically or in scholarly contexts
3. A series of written observations intended to inform or analyze a subject, frequently utilized in academic writing

Etymology: Caesar gave the name to his own memoirs. His account of the Gallic and civil wars, written in the first person and in a plain, spare style, was titled "Commentarii," literally "notebooks" or "memoranda," and he presented it as raw material for historians rather than finished history. The word comes from Latin "commentarius," a derivative of "commentari," meaning to think over, consider or set down in writing, which itself grows from "comminisci," to devise or contrive, with the prefix "com-" and the root "mens," mind. The plural form was the usual way to refer to such records. A "commentarius" was originally a note, a daybook, or a memorandum, and an official or magistrate could keep his own "commentarii" of public business. Over time the word came to mean an explanatory treatise on a text, which is the sense English later inherited. The plural "commentarii" is itself used in English as a noun meaning a collection of written commentaries, retaining the Latin form.

Synonyms: commentaries, notes, annotations, critiques