footnote

American  

[foot-noht] / ˈfʊtˌnoʊt /

noun

footnotes plural

1. an explanatory or documenting note or comment at the bottom of a page, referring to a specific part of the text on the page.

2. a minor or tangential comment or event added or subordinated to a main statement or more important event.

---

verb (used with object)

footnotes, present (3rd person singular) footnoted, past participle, past footnoting present participle

1. to add a footnote or footnotes to (a text, statement, etc.); annotate.

   to footnote a dissertation.

footnote British  

/ ˈfʊtˌnəʊt /

noun

1. a note printed at the bottom of a page, to which attention is drawn by means of a reference mark in the body of the text

2. an additional comment, as to a main statement

---

verb

1. (tr) to supply (a page, book, etc) with footnotes

Usage

What’s the difference between a footnote and an endnote? A footnote is a note at the bottom (the “foot”) of a page. An endnote is a note at the end of a text (such as an article, a chapter, or an entire book). The difference between footnotes and endnotes is their location, not their function. Both consist of information added to a text in another spot, such as an explanation or a citation of a source. They are both usually indicated with some kind of mark, often an asterisk* or a number¹. The same mark appears in another part of the text along with the corresponding note, either at the bottom of the page (making it a footnote) or at the end of the text (making it an endnote). Of course, if an article is only a single page, the note at the end could be called a footnote or an endnote. Here’s an example of footnote and endnote used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I use footnotes for tangential information so that readers can access it without turning the page, but I use endnotes for citations so they don’t clutter up the page. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between footnote and endnote.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• footnotes
  plural

Participles

• footnoting
  present
• footnoted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• footnote
  simple
• footnotes
  simple
• have footnoted
  perfect
• has footnoted
  perfect
• am footnoting
  progressive
• are footnoting
  progressive
• is footnoting
  progressive
• have been footnoting
  perfect progressive
• has been footnoting
  perfect progressive

Past

• footnoted
  simple
• had footnoted
  perfect
• was footnoting
  progressive
• were footnoting
  progressive
• had been footnoting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will footnote
  simple
• will have footnoted
  perfect
• will be footnoting
  progressive
• will have been footnoting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of footnote

First recorded in 1835–45; foot + note

Compare meaning

How does footnote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• footnote vs. endnote

Explanation

A footnote is a short bit of extra information that's printed at the bottom of a book's page. Some footnotes cite the authors and titles of the sources the author consulted while researching and writing. The presence of footnotes usually means you're reading an academic or scholarly work of nonfiction. Your history paper might include footnotes on each page, noting the books, journals, and websites you used for your research. Some contemporary novels have footnotes as well, a complex and playful way for the author to insert extra notes and details. The foot of a page is the bottom, which explains the word footnote.

Example Sentences

But the Chase Manhattan Bank added a relevant foot note: more civilians than ever are working for the nation's biggest employer, government.

From Time Magazine Archive

On page 130, foot note relative to Mr. Rainey you have not included his service in the 41st Congress.

From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922 by Various

I have left the original spelling and included foot note numbers.

From History of the Conquest of Peru by Prescott, William Hickling

See the last words of Charles Sumner and the foot note on his sudden death.

From The Last Words of Distinguished Men and Women (Real and Traditional) by Marvin, Frederic Rowland

"Here is a foot note in this family Bible on this passage," said the father.

From Dorothy Page by Hatcher, Eldridge B.

Related Words

• explanation
• reference