commentary

English

Etymology

From Middle French commentaire, from Latin commentārius, commentārium (“notebook”), compare French commentaire. See comment.

Noun

commentary (countable and uncountable, plural commentaries)

1. a series of comments or annotations; especially, a book of explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of some other work

   We listened to the football commentary while watching the match.

   • Henry Hallam

     This letter […] was published by him with a severe commentary.

2. (usually in the plural) a brief account of transactions or events written hastily, as if for a memorandum

   Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War

3. an oral relation of an event, especially broadcast by television or radio, as it occurs

Synonyms

• (series of comments or annotations): scholia (ancient & medieval European works); secondary source

Derived terms

• audio commentary
• commentary track
• DVD commentary
• political commentary
• social commentary
• supercommentary

 

Translations

A series of comments or annotations

• Armenian: մեկնաբանություն (hy) (meknabanutʿyun)
• Basque: iruzkin, azalpen, zeresan
• Bulgarian: коментар (bg) m (komentar)
• Catalan: comentari (ca) m
• Finnish: kommentaari (fi)
• Galician: comentario m
• German: Kommentar (de) m
• Greek: σχόλια (el) n pl (schólia)

  Ancient: σχόλια n pl (skhólia), παρεκβολή f (parekbolḗ), ὑπόμνημα n (hupómnēma)

• Hebrew: פרוש‎ (he) f (perúsh)

• Hungarian: kommentár (hu)
• Kurdish: şirove (ku) f, ravek (ku) f, ravekirin (ku) f, îzah (ku) f, şerh (ku) f, tefsîr (ku) f, ronkirin (ku) f, komentar (ku) f
• Latin: comentārium n, commentārium n
• Polish: komentarz (pl) m
• Portuguese: comentário (pt) m
• Russian: коммента́рий (ru) m (kommentárij), аннота́ция (ru) f (annotácija)
• Scottish Gaelic: iomradh m
• Spanish: comentario (es) m
• Telugu: వ్యాఖ్యానము (te) (vyākhyānamu)

A brief account of transactions or events written hastily

• Bulgarian: репортаж (bg) m (reportaž)
• Catalan: comentari (ca) m
• Finnish: kommentaari (fi)

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} הערות‎ f pl (he'arot)
• Scottish Gaelic: iomradh m

An oral description of an event, especially broadcast by television or radio, as it occurs

• Finnish: selostus (fi)
• Greek: σχολιασμός (el) m (scholiasmós)
• Hebrew: דווח‎ m (divuah)

• Russian: репорта́ж (ru) m (reportáž)
• Telugu: వ్యాఖ్యానము (te) (vyākhyānamu)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} komentaro

Further reading

• commentary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.