headnote

American  

[hed-noht] / ˈhɛdˌnoʊt /

noun

1. a brief summary, comment, or explanation that precedes a chapter, report, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of headnote

First recorded in 1850–55; head + note

Example Sentences

“He said the wording on the method isn’t the same, there is no similarity on the headnote — tough luck,” said Ms. Martin, who is now a freelance editor.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2021

"This was originally destined to be a niçoise salad, my attempt at taking a fresh look at the beloved French classic of tuna, olive, potato, and egg," writes Baz in the recipe headnote.

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2021

Correction: A headnote as well as make-ahead and storage notes for this recipe were omitted when this story was first published.

From Washington Post • Mar. 22, 2021

Chelsea Peretti made the same jab in November 2018, just three months after Rekha Shankar satirized the personal headnote in the New Yorker’s humor column.

From Slate • Feb. 20, 2020

Parenthetical Roman numerals do not correspond to the editor’s section headings, but the text summary is generally similar to the appropriate headnote.

From Early English Alliterative Poems in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century by Morris, Richard