Comment: A Remark Made, and a Note Nobody Runs
A comment is a spoken or written remark about something. In programming it is a note in the source code that the computer ignores entirely.
A comment is a remark offering an opinion or explanation. Programming borrowed the word for a note left in the code that the machine skips over: it exists only for the next person to read the file, which is the purest form of commenting there is.
- A spoken or written remark. *He made no comment on the result.*
- A note in source code. *Add a comment explaining the fix.*
- A reader's response online. *The article drew hundreds of comments.*
- To remark (verb). *She commented on the delay.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | comment | A brief comment. |
| Verb | comment | Would you care to comment? |
| Person | commentator | A football commentator. |
| Noun | commentary | Live commentary. |
| Phrase | no comment | He said no comment. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The minister declined to comment.Declined to comment is the standard news formula.
- That is a sad comment on the state of the industry.A comment on can mean evidence about, not just a remark.
- No comment.A refusal to answer that everyone understands as significant.
Comment, remark, observation and criticism
- Comment — neutral, any remark on something
- Remark — brief and often passing
- Observation — implies the speaker has noticed something
- Criticism — a judgement, usually negative
- Commentary — a continuous stream of comment, not a single one
From Latin *commentum*, an invention or interpretation, from *comminisci*, to devise. The Latin sense of explanation is why a commentary on a text explains it rather than merely reacting to it.
Comment on or comment about?
Comment on is standard in writing. Comment about occurs in speech and sounds slightly looser.
Why do programmers write comments?
To explain why the code does what it does. The code already shows what it does; the reasoning is the part that gets lost.