Meaning & use
notate
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Meanings
verbtransitivemusic
To write something down using a system of signs or symbols, especially musical notes.
Grammar: Takes an object: notate a melody.
Patterns
- notate something
- notate something for something
She sat at the piano and began to notate the tune she had just improvised.
The composer notated every breath mark in the choir score.
Software can now notate music as you play it.
verbtransitivespecialist
To record dance movements, chess moves or other information with a set of written symbols.
Grammar: Takes an object and suggests a formal recording system: notate the steps.
Patterns
- notate something in something
Choreographers notate dance steps so others can restage them.
He notated each chess game in the tournament booklet.
Researchers notate gestures to compare how people speak.
Word forms
| third person singular | notates |
|---|---|
| past tense | notated |
| past participle | notated |
| -ing form | notating |
Common combinations
- notate music
- Students learn to notate music by hand before using software.
- notate a melody
- He could notate a melody after hearing it once.
- notate a rhythm
- It is hard to notate such a complex rhythm.
- notate by hand
- The old manuscripts were notated by hand.
- notate in the margin
- She notated her changes in the margin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transcribe
- Transcribe means to write out something heard or spoken, while notate stresses the use of a symbol system.
- score
- Score is a music-specific verb meaning to write for instruments, whereas notate only records what exists.
- record
- Record is general and could mean audio capture, but notate always means writing in symbols.
- jot down
- Jot down is informal and quick, while notate suggests careful, systematic marking.
Word family
Commonly confused: notate or annotate?
notate vs annotate
Annotate means to add comments or explanations to a text, while notate means to write something down using symbols.
Practice
The teacher asked us to ___ the melody using standard musical symbols.
Choose one answer.
Notate means to write music in symbols. Annotate means to add comments, and dictate means to say aloud for someone to write, so they do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “notate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.