notation

noun

no·​ta·​tion nō-ˈtā-shən 

1

: annotation, note

2

a

: the act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters

b

: a system of characters, symbols, or abbreviated expressions used in an art or science or in mathematics or logic to express technical facts or quantities

notational

nō-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• jotting
• memo
• memorandum
• note

Examples of notation in a Sentence

a mathematical notation for computer programming

he had scribbled his notation so quickly I couldn't read it

Recent Examples on the Web

Fourteen court files include notations saying a charge was dismissed after someone, often in law enforcement, had intervened. —Samantha Sunne, ProPublica, 16 Nov. 2023

Examined, too, are innovations and their unintended consequences—including the development of musical notation in the ninth and 10th centuries, which led to increasingly complex Christian liturgical chants. —John Check, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023

For No Fixed Point in Space, Cooper handed musical notation to the players and instructed them to loosely interpret and improvise within that structure. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2023

As a result of these talks, Sikhs who want to carry a kirpan at work now receive special notation on their employee badges. —Jennifer Miller, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023

Though Brian has fond memories of attending bigger shows at venues like KeyArena and the Kingdome, most of his learning was self-taught, learning how to sing harmonies in local record stores and practicing song writing on keyboards and music notation software in the back of high school classrooms. —Lauren Ballantyne, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2023

Yet the Sonata begins with seven bars of technically unchallenging music, which anyone who reads notation can manage. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023

Some music is presented visually, through original scores done with unusual musical notation. —Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023

The mystery begins in 1985 when Kate, examining her birth certificate, finds an odd notation on it. —Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Latin notation-, notatio, from notare to note

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing notation

• postfix notation
• positional notation
• reverse Polish notation
• scientific notation

• postfix notation
• positional notation
• reverse Polish notation
• scientific notation

Kids Definition

notation

noun

no·​ta·​tion nō-ˈtā-shən 

1

: note entry 2 sense 3a

make notations on a paper

2

: the act of noting

3

: a system of marks, signs, figures, or characters used to give specified information

musical notation

scientific notation

notational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective