What does nota mean?
Nota is a rare English noun borrowed from Latin for a mark, sign, note, or identifying spot. Its most recognizable modern appearance is in the Latin phrase nota bene, “note well,” used when a teacher, editor, or critic adds a brief judgment to a page. Outside that phrase, nota is uncommon and usually has a technical or scholarly tone; in anatomical writing it can denote a mark or spot on the body, while in textual scholarship it may mean a marginal annotation. The word should not be confused with the much more familiar note, which can refer to a written annotation, a musical sound, or an idea. Nota is nevertheless useful because it preserves a distinctly Latinized register and a direct sense of marking that ordinary English sometimes expresses through note, sign, or annotation.
nounA mark, sign, or identifying spot; more rarely, a note or brief annotation. The word occurs chiefly in specialist writing and in the Latin phrase "nota bene".
- A mark or sign used to identify or draw attention to something.
- A note or brief annotation, especially one added to a text.
- An anatomical mark or identifying spot on the body.
"The manuscript contains a small nota in the margin."
"The manuscript contains a small nota in the margin."
"The medical text describes the lesion as a nota on the skin."
The standard plural is notae, a Latin form retained in formal and specialist English.
"The author placed several notae in the margin."
From Latin notare, meaning “to mark,” nota shares a root with familiar words such as notice and notion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of nota
English borrowed nota from Latin, where the noun meant “a mark, sign, or note.” It is related to Latin notare, “to mark,” formed from notus, “known,” the participle of noscere, “to get to know.” That root also produced cognates in English such as notice, notion, and notification.
Related word forms
How nota is actually used
Nota is uncommon in modern English and has a distinctly formal, Latinized, scholarly, or medical register. It is best known from "nota bene," a Latin expression meaning “note well” that is used for a brief editorial or evaluative comment.
Easily confused with nota
Nota is a rare formal or specialist term for a mark or annotation, whereas note is the ordinary English word for written information, a musical sound, or an idea.