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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

com·men·tar·y

Audio Help [kom-uh

n-ter-ee] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -tar·ies.

1.	a series of comments, explanations, or annotations: a commentary on the Bible; news followed by a commentary.

2.	an explanatory essay or treatise: a commentary on a play; Blackstone's commentaries on law.

3.	anything serving to illustrate a point, prompt a realization, or exemplify, esp. in the case of something unfortunate: The dropout rate is a sad commentary on our school system.

4.	Usually, commentaries. records of facts or events: Commentaries written by Roman lawyers give us information on how their courts functioned.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME commentaries (pl.) < L commentārium notebook, n. use of neut. of commentārius, equiv. to comment(um) comment + -ārius -ary

]

—Related forms

com·men·tar·i·al

Audio Help [kom-uh

n-tair-ee-uh

l] Pronunciation Key, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
commentary

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

com·men·tar·y Audio Help (kŏm'ən-těr'ē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. com·men·tar·ies

A series of explanations or interpretations.
An expository treatise or series of annotations; an exegesis. Often used in the plural.
An apt explanation or illustration: a scandal that is a sad commentary on national politics.
A personal narrative; a memoir. Often used in the plural.

com'men·tar'i·al (-târ'ē-əl) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
commentary

1531, from L. commentarius "notebook, annotation," from commentum (see comment). Originally in Eng. as an adj.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

commentary
noun
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]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ˈcommentary noun — plural ˈcommentaries

(also running commentary) a series of broadcast comments by a reporter at a ceremony, sports event etc

Arabic:	تَعْليق، تَعْقيب
Chinese (Simplified):	连续地广播报道
Chinese (Traditional):	連續地報道
Czech:	komentář
Danish:	reportage
Dutch:	reportage
Estonian:	kommentaar, reportaaž
Finnish:	selostus
French:	commentaire
German:	der Kommentar
Greek:	περιγραφή, σχόλιο
Hungarian:	közvetítés
Icelandic:	lÿsing
Indonesian:	ulasan

Italian:	commentario
Japanese:	実況解説
Latvian:	komentārs
Lithuanian:	reportažas, komentaras
Norwegian:	reportasje (fra et arrangement); øyeblikksreportasje
Polish:	sprawozdanie, komentarz
Portuguese (Brazil):	comentário
Portuguese (Portugal):	comentário
Russian:	комментарий
Slovak:	komentár
Slovenian:	reportaža
Spanish:	comentario, crítica
Swedish:	kommentar
Turkish:	naklen yayın

See also: comment, commentate, "commentary" in any language

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Commentary

Com"men*ta*ry\, n.; pl. Commentaries. [L. commentarius, commentarium, note book, commentary: cf. F. commentaire. See Comment, v. i.]

1. 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.

2. 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.

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