Note , n. [F. note, L. nota; akin to noscere, notum, to know. See Know.]

1. A mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality.

Whosoever appertain to the visible body of the church, they have also the notes of external profession. Hooker.

She [the Anglican church] has the note of possession, the note of freedom from party titles,the note of life -- a tough life and a vigorous. J. H. Newman.

What a note of youth, of imagination, of impulsive eagerness, there was through it all ! Mrs. Humphry Ward.

2. A mark, or sign, made to call attention, to point out something to notice, or the like; a sign, or token, proving or giving evidence.

3. A brief remark; a marginal comment or explanation; hence, an annotation on a text or author; a comment; a critical, explanatory, or illustrative observation.

The best writers have been perplexed with notes, and obscured with illustrations. Felton.

4. A brief writing intended to assist the memory; a memorandum; a minute.

"5. pl. Hence, a writing intended to be used in speaking; memoranda to assist a speaker, being either a synopsis, or the full text of what is to be said; as, to preach from notes; also, a reporters memoranda; the original report of a speech or of proceedings."

6. A short informal letter; a billet.

7. A diplomatic missive or written communication.

8. A written or printed paper acknowledging a debt, and promising payment; as, a promissory note; a note of hand; a negotiable note.

9. A list of items or of charges; an account. [Obs.]

"Here is now the smiths note for shoeing." Shak.

10. (Mus.) (a) A character, variously formed, to indicate the length of a tone, and variously placed upon the staff to indicate its pitch. Hence:(b) A musical sound; a tone; an utterance; a tune. (c) A key of the piano or organ.

The wakeful bird . . . tunes her nocturnal note. Milton.

That note of revolt against the eighteenth century, which we detect in Goethe, was struck by Winckelmann. W. Pater.

11. Observation; notice; heed.

Give orders to my servants that they take No note at all of our being absent hence. Shak.

12. Notification; information; intelligence. [Obs.]

The king . . . shall have note of this. Shak.

13. State of being under observation. [Obs.]

Small matters . . . continually in use and in note. Bacon.

14. Reputation; distinction; as, a poet of note.

There was scarce a family of note which had not poured out its blood on the field or the scaffold. Prescott.

15. Stigma; brand; reproach. [Obs.] Shak.

Note of hand, a promissory note.

Note , n. [AS. notu use, profit.] Need; needful business. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Note , n. Nut. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Note (?). [AS. nāt; ne not + wāt wot. See Not, and Wot.] Know not; knows not. [Obs.]

Note (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Noted; p. pr. & vb. n.Noting.] [F. noter, L. notare, fr. nota. See Note, n.]

1. To notice with care; to observe; to remark; to heed; to attend to. Pope.

No more of that; I have noted it well. Shak.

2. To record in writing; to make a memorandum of.

Every unguarded word . . . was noted down. Maccaulay.

3. To charge, as with crime (with of or for before the thing charged); to brand. [Obs.]

They were both noted of incontinency. Dryden.

4. To denote; to designate.Johnson.

5. To annotate. [R.] W. H. Dixon.

6. To set down in musical characters.

To note a bill or draft, to record on the back of it a refusal of acceptance, as the ground of a protest, which is done officially by a notary.

Note (?), v. t. [AS. hnītan to strike against, imp. hnāt.] To butt; to push with the horns. [Prov. Eng.]

-- Webster's unabridged 1913