Fieldnotes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Written observations jotted down by a researcher or observer while collecting data outdoors or on location
2. A record of what someone has seen and noted down during a study conducted away from the laboratory or office
3. Detailed jottings made on site by an investigator to capture observations, measurements and impressions as they happen

Etymology: "Fieldnotes" is the plural of "fieldnote", a compound of "field" and "note". The first element traces back to Old English "feld", meaning open country or ground free of trees, and the second to Latin "nota", a mark or sign, which reached English through Old French "note". Put together, the parts describe a written mark made out in the open country, away from the study or the library. The compound is transparent in a way many English words are not: each element keeps its everyday sense, and the combined meaning follows directly from them. Its use in research settings, where a scholar or observer records what is seen on location, follows the same logic. Because the two parts are so ordinary, the word has never needed a special coinage or a famous originator to explain it.

Synonyms: observations, jottings, notes