nota bene
See also: notabene
English
Pronunciation
Interjection
nota bene (plural notate bene)
- (imperative) Take special note; used to add an aside or warning to a text.[1]
Usage notes
- As with the Latin phrases id est and exempli gratia, nota bene is now more commonly encountered in its abbreviated form n.b.[1]
- In Latin, notā is the singular present active imperative form of notō (“I mark”, “I note”, “I observe”), whose plural equivalent is notāte; consequently, in English, when addressing an audience of more than one person, the plural form notate bene is occasionally used instead of the singular. This practice is not necessary in English; nota bene is regarded as correct usage irrespective of number by all but the most pedantic language users. The abbreviation n.b. may stand for either.
Synonyms
Noun
References
- “nota bene, int. and n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [Draft revision; June 2008]
- “nota bene” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “nota bene” in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.
Dutch
Etymology
From Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”). See the Latin section’s etymology for further information.
Pronunciation
Audio (file) - IPA(key): /ˌnoː.taː ˈbeː.nə/
French
Etymology
From Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”). See the Latin section’s etymology for further information.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nɔta bene/
Italian
Etymology
From Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”). See the Latin section’s etymology for further information.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈnɔta ˈbɛne/, [ˈnɔː.t̪a ˈbɛː.ne]
Latin
Etymology
notā, singular present active imperative form of notō (“I mark”, “I note”, “I observe”) + bene (“well”), adverbial form of bonus (“good”)
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈno.taː ˈbe.ne/, [ˈnɔ.taː ˈbɛ.nɛ]
Spanish
Etymology
From Classical Latin notā bene (“note well”). See the Latin section’s etymology for further information.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /notaˈbene/, [not̪aˈβene]
Further reading
- “nota bene” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
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