What Is Footnotes?

Simply put, a footnote is a small note at the bottom (or "foot") of a given page of a book, magazine article, or any written copy. The purpose of it is to give additional information about a particular section of the text on that page. For example, if a page of a book about horses used the word mare, there might be a footnote that says "a mare is the proper word for a female horse."

Another use is to cite other resources. For example, if a section of an article quoted a sonnet by Shakespeare, you may find a footnote at the bottom of that page explaining the name of the book the sonnet came from, as well as the name of the publication company of that book.

It is the process of adding information at the foot of a page of a book, article, magazine and likes about a word or an idea which may seem ambiguous to the reader. It may also appear as more information on the author and the source itself like publication date, place and etc.