Footnotes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reference or citation added at the bottom of a page to provide additional information or context; a method to offer explanations or comments without interrupting the main text; these are typically numbered to correspond with content in the main body
2. An annotation located at the bottom of a page that gives further insight or credit to sources used in the main text; a means of including collateral information without disruption to the narrative flow; referencing these allows readers to find the original sources more easily
3. A supplementary note placed at the bottom of a page that elaborates on something mentioned in the text; an effective way to include supporting details or citations without breaking the reader's engagement with the main arguments; numbering links these notes directly to their corresponding text sections

Etymology: "Footnotes" is the plural of "footnote," a noun for an explanatory note printed at the bottom of a page. The word is a plain compound of "foot," the lower edge of a page or surface, and "note," a short written remark. The form is transparent: a reader's eye reaches the bottom of the page and finds the commentary waiting there, which is why the word was built from those two ordinary parts rather than from any classical root.

Synonyms: annotations, citations, references, notes, comments