Notas

Notas is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese that translates to notes in English. It has several related senses across music, writing, and education.

In music, notas denote pitch and duration. They are represented on a musical staff and come in various values, such as whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes. Their positions and shapes convey rhythm and melody, and accidentals may alter pitch. The notation system used for notas is part of Western musical theory and can vary with regional traditions.

In writing and everyday use, notas are short messages, reminders, or annotations. They can be handwritten on paper, included in notebooks, or stored digitally in note-taking applications. This sense encompasses casual reminders as well as more formal marginalia or commentary on documents.

In education, notas refer to grades or marks assigned to students. The scoring systems differ by country and institution, with common ranges expressed as numeric scores, letters, or descriptive evaluations. The term appears in phrases such as nota final (final grade) and notas parciales (partial or midterm grades).

Other uses include marginal notes or annotations in texts, research, or legal documents. The word nota, singular, also appears in various compounds and phrases across Romance languages, illustrating its broad semantic field related to marks, comments, or recognitions.

Etymologically, nota comes from Latin nota meaning mark or sign. The term spread through Spanish and Portuguese, where it acquired its current meanings and collocations in education, music, and everyday writing.