BIT OF MARGINALIA is a term used to describe notes or annotations written in the margins of a document. The term can be broken down into three crossword solutions: NOTE (4 letters), STET (4 letters), and NOTATION (8 letters). NOTE is a brief comment or instruction, STET is a Latin word meaning 'let it stand' which is used to indicate that an editor or proofreader does not want to make any changes to a particular part of a document, and NOTATION is a written or printed symbol or character.