What does footnoting mean?
Footnoting is the practice of placing brief explanatory remarks or source references at the bottom of a page in a written document, set off from the main body by a superscript number or symbol. The term is most at home in academic, legal, and editorial writing, where precise attribution matters: good footnoting allows readers to verify claims, consult original sources, or pursue tangents without cluttering the main text. It derives from the verb "to footnote," itself built from the older nouns "foot" and "note." Beyond mere citation, footnotes may carry asides, corrections, or humorous commentary—a style famously exploited by writers such as Edward Gibbon and, in modern fiction, David Foster Wallace. Careful footnoting signals scholarly rigor, while careless or excessive footnoting can suggest pedantry or an inability to edit. In short, footnoting is both a practical craft of documentation and, at its best, an art of the well-placed aside.
nounThe action or practice of adding explanatory notes at the bottom ("foot") of a page in a text; the gerund form of the verb "to footnote."
- The act or practice of adding footnotes—explanatory or cited notes placed at the bottom of a page—to a written work.
"Her meticulous footnoting made even the appendices a pleasure to read."
"Good footnoting lets readers trace every claim back to its original source."
"The journal rejected the manuscript for sloppy footnoting and inconsistent citations."
As a verbal noun denoting a practice or activity, footnoting is normally uncountable; a plural form is possible but seldom warranted.
"The editor compared the footnotings of the two rival translations."
The humble footnote dates back centuries of scholarly tradition, and how you format yours can still spark fierce debates among academics.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of footnoting
Footnoting comes from the verb "footnote", formed within English from the combination of "foot" (the bottom or base of something) and "note" (a brief comment or annotation). "Note" traces back through Old French "note" to Latin "nota", meaning a mark or sign, which also gives us notation, annotation, and related words. The practice of placing such notes at the foot of the page developed over centuries of European printing and scholarship before the verb itself was coined.
Related word forms
How footnoting is actually used
Primarily encountered in academic, scholarly, and editorial contexts; it carries a neutral-to-positive connotation, with careful footnoting associated with rigor and credibility. As a verbal noun it is typically uncountable.
Easily confused with footnoting
"Footing" refers to a secure basis, standing, or the placement of one's feet, whereas footnoting refers specifically to adding reference notes at the bottom of a page.