annotation

American  

[an-uh-tey-shuhn] / ˌæn əˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a critical or explanatory note or body of notes added to a text.

2. the act of annotating.

3. note. annot.

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annotation British  

/ ˌænə-, ˌænəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of annotating

2. a note added in explanation, etc, esp of some literary work

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Usage

What does annotation mean? An annotation is a note or comment added to a text to provide explanation or criticism about a particular part of it. Annotation can also refer to the act of annotating—adding annotations. Annotations are often added to scholarly articles or to literary works that are being analyzed. But the term can be used in a more general way to refer to a note added to any text. For example, a note that you scribble in the margin of your textbook is an annotation, as is an explanatory comment that you add to a list of tasks at work. Something that has had such notes added to it can be described as annotated. The word annotation is sometimes abbreviated as annot. (which can also mean annotated or annotator). Example: The annotations in this edition of the book really helped me to understand the historical context and the meanings of some obscure words.

Other Word Forms

• reannotation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of annotation

First recorded in 1425–75, annotation is from the Latin word annotātiōn- (stem of annotātiō ). See annotate, -ion

Explanation

Annotations are simply notes or comments. If you have trouble understanding Shakespeare, you may want to buy a copy of "Hamlet" with annotations on each page that explain all the vocabulary words and major themes. The word annotation comes from the Latin root words ad, meaning "to," and notare, meaning "to note." The act of adding explanatory notes to something is also called annotation, as in "Your friends might be amused by your annotation of the text, but I don't think the professor will accept "No one knows and no one cares!" as a reason for why the protagonist acted the way he did."

Example Sentences

After watching a video on TikTok, she found a side hustle: training artificial intelligence models for a website called Data Annotation Tech.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2024

Annotation lengths will vary depending on the length of the source, how it is used in your project, and how much analysis you do within the annotation.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Katy Waldman’s “Will Genius Turn Us Into an Annotation Nation?” is a delight from start to finish.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2015

Extended Data Figure 5: Annotation of repeats and non-coding RNA genes.

From Nature • Jan. 22, 2014

Annotation by Professor Hodder An introduction, notes, and index have been supplied by Professor Frank Heywood Hodder, who has made a special study of American historical geography.

From Travels in the Interior of North America, Part I, (Being Chapters I-XV of the London Edition, 1843) Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, Volume XXII by Maximilian, Alexander Philipp

Related Words

• glossary