commentary English · revision 7025

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=early 15th century|origins=la commentor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈkɒm.ən.t(ə.)ɹi/ ''(UK)''; /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|commentarius|t=notebook, annotation; diary, memoir]], also commentarium,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) a noun use of the adjective, perhaps short for volumen commentarium,^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) from [[m|la|commentor|alt=commentārī|t=to meditate upon]], a frequentative of [[m|la|comminiscor|alt=comminīscī|t=to devise, contrive]] (see [[comment]]).^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A series or collection of comments: the early 15th century in Etymonline, late Middle English in SOED;^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) a collection of notes or a notebook, 1531 in the OED.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ An explanation of difficult passages in a book is from the 1530s, and a series of annotations from 1538.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A memoir or historical record, as in Caesar's ''Commentaries'', is from 1538 to about 1600.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) A spoken description of a public event as it happens, on radio and later television, is from 1927.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) An obsolete verb, to comment, is from 1624.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * early 15th century – a series of comments.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1531 – a notebook.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1538 – a systematic annotation; a memoir.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1927 – a broadcast description.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A spoken description of an event, such as a sports match, broadcast as it happens.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A set of explanatory notes on a text; a written [[interpretation]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A series of comments or opinions.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Something that illustrates or reflects a situation: ''a sad commentary on our times''.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[commentarial]]

+ * [[supercommentary]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[comment]]

+ * [[commentator]]

+ * [[mental]]

+ * [[mind]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}