note

Pronunciation

• IPA: /nɔt/^[1]

Forms

note f (plural notes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin nota (“sign, mark; musical note; written note, remark”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} Rey and the Petit Robert note that some link the Latin word to the past participle of nōscō (“to get to know”).^[3][7] In Latin it also meant shorthand signs, numerals and punctuation, a brand mark and hence the censor's mark of disgrace; in Medieval Latin a deed (1102) and the draft of a notarial deed.^[2][3] The unfavourable sense of the French word “mark of infamy” comes from Latin.^[4] Old French also had a popular form noe “speckle on a bird's plumage” (1376).^[2]

Cognate with Occitan nota, Spanish nota and Italian nota.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Brut (1155) uses it in music for a melody: Il aveit apris a chanter E lais e notes a harper “he had learned to sing, and to play lays and tunes on the harp”.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

In the late 14th century Eustache Deschamps uses it in the modern musical sense, the sign for a sound and the sound itself.^[2][3] Figurative phrases followed: en note basse “in a low voice” (1593), changer de note “to change one's tune” (1613), être dans la note “to be in keeping” (1879).^[2][3]

From 1241 it is also what is set down in writing, at first mainly in law and administration, such as the draft of a deed (1370).^[3] From 1636 (Monet) it is a short written record or remark, prendre note, a note on a text, and in diplomacy a note diplomatique (1824).^[3][10] A teacher's appraisal of a pupil is recorded in 1845 and the mark as a figure in 1906; the bill to be paid is also a note.^[2][1]

Timeline

• 1155 – “Tune, melody”, Wace.^[2]
• 1241 – A written record.^[3]
• Late 14th century – The sign for a musical sound, Eustache Deschamps.^[2]
• 1636 – A brief written record or remark, Monet.^[10]
• 1824 – A diplomatic note.^[10]
• 1845 – A teacher's appraisal of a pupil.^[2]
• 1906 – A mark expressed as a figure.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (music) A note; the sign that represents it: les notes de la gamme, fausse note.^[7][1]
2. A brief written record: prendre des notes, prendre note de quelque chose.^[1][10]
3. A remark on a text: note en bas de page.^[1][7]
4. A short communication: note de service, note diplomatique.^[10][7]
5. A mark, grade given to a pupil or a piece of work: une bonne note.^[2][1]
6. A bill: la note d'hôtel, note de frais, an expense account.^[1][7]
7. A touch, hint: une note de gaieté, être dans la note, to fit in.^[1][3]

Word family

• noter
• notamment

Related words

• notice
• notaire
• notable
• annoter
• Latin nota

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 196a
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
10. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse