Notational

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

  1. Pertaining to a system of symbols used to represent concepts | Involves methods for documenting, expressing, or conveying information through signs | Connected to specific representations used to record or signify ideas and data
  2. Relating to a set of symbols that denote meanings, involving techniques for capturing and showcasing information through visual representations, and associated with particular methods employed to illustrate or define concepts and knowledge
  3. Concerned with the use of symbolic systems for communication, engaging in processes of encoding and revealing information through designated signs, and linked to the practices of documenting or articulating abstract ideas and data

Etymology: The adjective in question derives from the noun "notation," which entered English in the late Middle Ages. Notation itself comes from the Latin verb "notare," meaning "to mark" or "to note," which traces back to "nota," a mark or sign. The concept originally referred to the act of marking or making signs to represent something, often for the purpose of recording information. As the use of written symbols to represent ideas, sounds, or numbers became more systematized, "notation" grew to signify any standardized system of symbols—such as musical notation or mathematical notation. The adjective form emerged to describe anything pertaining to these systems of symbolic representation. The suffix "-al," borrowed from Latin adjectival endings, turns the noun into a descriptor indicating relation or pertinence. This transformation into an adjective likely took hold in English around the 17th or 18th century, a time when scientific and mathematical disciplines were increasingly formalizing their symbolic languages. The word came to be used to qualify objects, concepts, or methods associated with the use of notation, emphasizing their connection to systems of signs or symbols rather than to the content those systems represent. Thus, the term serves as a linguistic marker for the relationship between ideas and their symbolic forms, reflecting a long history of humans striving to capture complex information through agreed-upon signs.

Synonyms: symbolic, representational, indicative, denotative, labeling