Comment

How to spell comment

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce comment

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does comment mean?

1. nounA spoken or written remark expressing an opinion or reaction.
2. verbTo express an opinion or remark about something.

Comment in a sentence

• noun

  Her comment about the budget sparked a long discussion.

• verb

  Reviewers often comment on the quality of the writing.

• noun

  He left a polite comment at the bottom of the report.

• verb

  She declined to comment until the case was settled.

Where does comment come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Comment arrived in English in the late 1300s from the Latin commentum, meaning 'an interpretation' or 'an annotation', which was the past participle of commentari, 'to consider thoroughly, to discuss, to think over'. That verb was built on the prefix com-, here acting as an intensifier, joined to a root tied to mens, the Latin word for 'mind', so the underlying idea is literally 'to turn something over in the mind'. The word passed through Old French as coment before settling into English, first describing scholarly notes written to explain a difficult text. From those written annotations the sense broadened to any spoken or written remark or opinion. The doubled m, which is the main spelling trap, survives directly from that Latin com- prefix, and the same mens root still powers relatives such as 'mental' and 'mention'.

How the word is built

• com- (with, together)
• ment (from mentiri/mens: mind, to bring to mind)
• (the doubled m reflects the assimilated com- prefix)