noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈfʊtˌnəʊt/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈfʊtˌnoʊt/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F UH1 T N OW2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A short piece of text, often numbered, placed at the bottom of a printed page, that adds a comment, citation, reference etc, to a designated part of the main text.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
consult the footnotes for more details
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An event of lesser importance than some larger event to which it is related.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Examples
a mere footnote in history
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: asterisk
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A qualification to the import of something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To add footnotes to a text.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: annotate
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: footer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: note, annotation, notation
6
verb
Meaning 6
add explanatory notes to or supply with critical comments
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The scholar annotated the early edition of a famous novel
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: annotate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: write, compose, pen, indite
History
Etymology
From foot + note.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ծանոթագրություն
(canotʻagrutʻyun)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Chinese Mandarin:
腳註 /脚注 or 腳注 /脚注
(jiǎozhù)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Chinese Mandarin:
註腳 /注脚
(zhùjiǎo)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Czech:
poznámka pod čarou
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Danish:
fodnote
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Dutch:
voetnoot
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Esperanto:
piednoto
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Estonian:
allmärkus
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Finnish:
alaviite
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
French:
note en bas de page
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
French:
note de bas de page
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
German:
Fußnote
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Greek:
υποσημείωση
(yposimeíosi)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Gujarati:
પાદટીપ
(pādṭīp)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Hungarian:
lábjegyzet
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Indonesian:
catatan kaki
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Irish:
fonóta
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Japanese:
脚注
(kyakuchū)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Japanese:
脚註
(kyakuchū)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Korean:
각주
(gakju)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Macedonian:
подножна белешка
(podnožna beleška)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Macedonian:
фуснота
(fusnota)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Malay:
nota kaki
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Manx:
fo-note
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Manx:
fo-screeuyn
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Māori:
kupu tāpiri
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Māori:
kupu āpiti
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Māori:
kīwae
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Norwegian Bokmål:
fotnote
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fotnote
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Polish:
przypis
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Portuguese:
nota de rodapé
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Punjabi:
ਪਗ ਟਿੱਪਣੀ
(pag ṭippaṇī)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Russian:
сно́ска
(snóska)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Russian:
примеча́ние
(primečánije)
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Scottish Gaelic:
eàrr-nota
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Spanish:
nota
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Spanish:
nota a pie de página
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Swedish:
fotnot
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Tagalog:
talababa
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Turkish:
dipnot
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Turkish:
haşiye
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Welsh:
troednodyn
— comment at the bottom of a printed page
Chinese Mandarin:
註腳 /注脚
(zhùjiǎo)
— event of lesser importance
Finnish:
alaviite
— event of lesser importance
German:
Fußnote
— event of lesser importance
Greek:
υποσημείωση
(yposimeíosi)
— event of lesser importance
Hungarian:
lábjegyzet
— event of lesser importance
Hungarian:
mellékes megjegyzés
— event of lesser importance
Korean:
부차적인 존재
(buchajeogin jonjae)
— event of lesser importance