Nota bene
Italian and Latin phrase
Nota bene ( / ˈ n oʊ t ə ˈ b ɛ n eɪ / , / ˈ n oʊ t ə ˈ b ɛ n i / or / ˈ n oʊ t ə ˈ b iː n i / ; plural form notate bene ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". [1] It is often abbreviated as NB , n.b. , and first appeared in English writing c. 1711 . [2] [3] [4] In Modern English , it is used, particularly in legal papers, [5] to draw the attention of the reader to a certain (side) aspect or detail of the subject being addressed. While NB is also often used in academic writing, note is a common substitute.
The markings used to draw readers' attention in medieval manuscripts are also called nota bene marks. The common medieval markings do not, however, include the abbreviation NB . The usual medieval equivalents are anagrams from the four letters in the word nota , the abbreviation DM from dignum memoria ("worth remembering"), or a symbol of a little hand (☞), called a manicule or index, with the index finger pointing towards the beginning of the significant passage. [6]
See also
References
- ↑ "nota bene" . Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition . CollinsDictionary.com . Retrieved 2012-10-22 .
- ↑ Addison, Joseph (1891). The Works of Joseph Addison . W. W. Gibbings. p. 283.
- ↑ Addison, Joseph (2004). "No. 102 Wednesday, June 27, 1711" . Project Gutenberg .
- ↑ Harper, Douglas. "nota bene" . Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved 2016-03-02 .
- ↑ "nota bene" . HM Courts & Tribunals Service – Glossary of terms – Latin . Her Majesty's Courts Service, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03 . Retrieved 2012-09-28 .
- ↑ Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca: Cornell University Press , 2007), p. 44.