Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MARGINALIA

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explore the archives: On a literal level, marginalia are notes written down in books' margins (the blank spaces to the left and right of the text). Isn't it awesome that we have a word for these scribbles? And figuratively, marginalia are any notes or comments that are secondary to, or, "off to the side" of, a larger discussion. If you've subscribed to Make Your Point for a good while, you know I love to share words with both literal and figurative meanings. I'm so glad that today's marginalia has that figurative meaning--if it didn't, I couldn't really share the word with you because it wouldn't be useful enough for everyday conversation. I felt the same joy in sharing d________ate. That, too, has a looser meaning ("to get rid of something") accompanying its stricter one ("to chuck something out a window"), and I hope you enjoy using both! make your point with... "MARGINALIA" In a book or a document, the margins are the blank spaces around the edges, and marginalia are the notes and comments that people add to those spaces. More loosely, marginalia are things people say and write that are not part of the main topic but are added on to the main topic. Pronunciation: MAR jin ALE ee uh Part of speech: Noun. Like we do with "scissors," "glasses," "pants," and "paraphernalia," we treat "marginalia" like a plural noun and talk about "the marginalia," "his marginalia," "these marginalia," "some marginalia," and so on, but we don't usually talk about a singular marginalium. Other forms: Again, it's uncommon, but you can talk about one marginalium, just like you can talk about one datum instead of multiple data. How to use it: Talk about the marginalia, someone's marginalia (or the marginalia of someone), the marginalia in a text or on a document or surrounding an event, or someone's marginalia of, on, or to a text, an event, or a larger conversation. You might talk about literal marginalia, like the helpful notes a student scribbled in your textbook before you owned it, the recipe adjustments your grandmother made in her cookbooks, the comments you added to the pages of your own copy of a beloved or hated book, etc. (For some readers, marginalia are deeply important, a way for us to think on paper, share with others our thoughts along with our books, and converse with the absent and perhaps dead writer.) Then there's figurative marginalia: the bursts of tweets and Facebook posts that follow an event, the cascade of comments on a YouTube video or an Amazon review, the chatter of hosts and commentators eager to put events in perspective, or the information and caveats your professor eagerly appends as she assigns you an article or chapter. examples: Midway through my used textbook, the energy and insight of the marginalia dwindle; some listless highlighting follows, then there's nothing but clean pages. I wonder what made the reader lose steam, and if he managed to complete the course. Comments, replies, replies to the replies--marginalia clutter the Internet, though they've been tidied somewhat by the upvote and the like button. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "marginalia" means when you can explain it without saying "annotations" or "metacommentary." try it out: Think of a recent event that caused a lot of discussion online or in the news. Fill in the blanks: "Every (type of response) thickened the marginalia surrounding (an event)." Example: "Every tweet and speech and open letter has thickened the marginalia surrounding this circus of an election season." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.  Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy! From yesterday: Though you've never devoted yourself to it or played competitively, you've dipped your toes into that iconic crossword board game with the wooden letter tiles. It was a ________ ______. (Two words of two syllables each. Clue: use this word.) Answer: Scrabble dabble. Try this today: You stop by the corner store to grab a snack, but the assortment of grab-and-go sandwiches is looking pretty gross; the display clearly has gone untouched for a long time. Years, maybe? These sandwiches aren't just old; they're decaying. You're looking at ___________ ____ ___________. (Three words: the first has three syllables, the second has one, and the third has four. Clue: use this word.) review today's word: 1. The opposite of MARGINALIA is A. PRIMARY GOAL B. PRIMARY COLOR C. PRIMARY TEXT 2.  Although e-readers are equipped for marginalia, some of the appeal disappears along with the _____. A. weight B. smell of glue and paper C. expressiveness of the handwriting Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C