Remarques

Remarques is the plural form of the French noun remarque, meaning a remark, comment, or observation. In everyday usage, remarques refer to notes or annotations added to a text to clarify, critique, or expand on its content. The term is commonly found in editorial, academic, and literary contexts, where comments from editors, reviewers, or readers are recorded as remarques.

In publishing and scholarly work, remarques can appear as marginalia, footnotes, endnotes, or boxed notes that provide clarification, reference sources, or highlight points of interest. They may accompany a manuscript to indicate suggested changes, raise questions about methodology, or signal interpretation issues. Remarques can be informal, such as reader comments, or formal, such as formal reviewer notes included in a revised edition.

Etymology-wise, remarque derives from the French verb remarquer, meaning to remark or notice, itself linked to the idea of marking or noting. The word is widely used in French-language discourse to distinguish brief observations from longer expositions.

Remarques should not be confused with the surname Remarque (without the final s), as in the German author Erich Maria Remarque. While etymologically related to a note or remark, Remarque is typically used as a proper name rather than a common noun in most contexts.

See also: Remarque (surname) and related discussions of remarks or annotations in textual editions.