Remarque

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A notable assertion within a literary piece can underscore critical themes
2. A noteworthy comment in literature highlights essential themes and ideas
3. A handwritten note or comment found in the margins of a text ; an explanatory or critical remark added to clarify meaning or provide emphasis

Etymology: The noun "remarque" entered English by direct borrowing from French, where "remarque" is the noun form of "remarquer," meaning to note or observe. The French verb itself is built from "re-," an intensifying prefix going back to Latin, joined to "marquer," to mark, which comes from the same Germanic root that gave English "mark." So the English word carries the sense of a mark set down again and again, a deliberate sign left on a page. That sense of marking survives in the word's meaning. A remark in the margin is literally a mark made beside the text, and the English noun has kept the French spelling and stress, which is why it looks foreign on the page. Its use in English is largely confined to the sense of a marginal note or a pointed comment, which is the sense the French word was already carrying when it crossed the Channel.