Dictionary Definition
commentary n : a written explanation or criticism
or illustration that is added to a book or other textual material;
"he wrote an extended comment on the proposal" [syn: comment]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- A series of comments or annotations; esp., a book of
explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of the
Scriptures or of some other work.
- This letter . . . was published by him with a severe commentary. -Hallam.
- A brief account of transactions or events written hastily, as if for a memorandum; -- usually in the plural; as, Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War.
Translations
Extensive Definition
Commentary can refer to:
- Play-by-play commentary, or colour commentary, accompanying sporting events on TV or radio
- Commentary Magazine, an American public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and published by the American Jewish Committee
- The audio commentary track for DVDs
- Political commentary
- A literary commentary
- Literary criticism
- Bible commentary
- In Theravada Buddhism, commentaries on the Pali Canon are known as atthakatha.
- Informed criticism
- Topics covered by a discussion group
- The place in France is correctly spelt Commentry.
- Commentaries is a work attributed to Taautus.
- A number of works by or attributed to Julius
Caesar, most notably:
- Commentarii de Bello Gallico, "Commentaries on the Gallic War"
- Commentarii de Bello Civili, "Commentaries on the Civil War"
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
affix,
allonge, analysis, annotation, apparatus
criticus, appendix,
coda, codicil, comment, commentation, critical
review, criticism,
critique, editorial, enclitic, envoi, epilogue, exegesis, footnote, gloss, infix, interlineation, interpolation, leader, leading article, marginalia, notation, note, note of explanation, notice, obiter dictum, observation, postscript, prefix, proclitic, remark, report, review, rider, running commentary,
scholia, scholium, suffix, tail, word of explanation,
write-up