Standard Lemma guide

marginalia

noun · 2 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.

  • General-American: /mɑɹd͡ʒɪˈneɪli.ə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /mɑːd͡ʒɪˈneɪli.ə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪliə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Notes in the margin of a document.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-normally

Examples

  • We know what the composer was thinking as he wrote the piece because we can read his handwritten marginalia on the manuscript.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: apostil, marginal note, gloss

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

notes written in the margin

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: note

Narrower terms: scholium, scholia

History

Etymology

From New Latin marginālia (cf. margināle (neuter singular (adjective / noun)), from Medieval Latin neuter plural of marginālis (“on the periphery”), from Latin margō (“border, edge”). By surface analysis, marginal + -ia. Compare margin.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُلَاحَظَة هَامِشِيَّة — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
  • Bulgarian: забележка в полето (zabeležka v poleto) — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
  • German: Randnote — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
  • Polish: marginalia — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
  • Portuguese: notas à margem — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
  • Portuguese: nota à margem — notes in the margin of document — see also marginal note
Real reading context

marginalia in complete knowledge articles