Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Cite
Cite
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cited
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Citing
] [F.
citer
, fr. L. citare
, intens. of cire
, ciēre
, to put in motion, to excite; akin to Gr.[GREEK] to go, Skr. [GREEK] to sharpen.] 1.
To call upon officially or authoritatively to appear, as before a court; to summon.
The
Of all past ages, to the general doom
Shall hasten.
cited
dead,Of all past ages, to the general doom
Shall hasten.
Milton.
Cited
by finger of God. De Quincey.
2.
To urge; to enjoin.
[R.]
Shak.
3.
To quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
The devil can
cite
Scripture for his purpose. Shakespeare
4.
To refer to or specify, as for support, proof, illustration, or confirmation.
The imperfections which you have
cited
. Shakespeare
5.
To bespeak; to indicate.
[Obs.]
Aged honor
cites
a virtuous youth. Shakespeare
Syn. – To quote; mention, name; refer to; adduce; select; call; summon. See
Quote
. Webster 1828 Edition
Cite
CITE
, v.t.1.
To call upon officially, or authoritatively; to summon; to give legal or official notice, as to a defendant to appear in court, to answer or defend.2.
To enjoin; to direct; to summon; to order or urge.3.
To quote; to name or repeat, as a passage or the words of another, either from a book or from verbal communication; as, to cite a passage from scripture, or to cite the very words a man utters.4.
To call or name, in support, proof or confirmation; as, to cite an authority to prove a point in law.Definition 2025
cite
cite
English
Verb
cite (third-person singular simple present cites, present participle citing, simple past and past participle cited)
- To quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
- 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:
- WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
-
- To list the source(s) from which one took information, words or literary or verbal context.
- To summon officially or authoritatively to appear in court.
Usage notes
Loosely, or for brevity in journalism, the word is used to mean no more than "mention". [an extension of sense 1]
Derived terms
Translations
quote — see quote
See also
Etymology 2
From the first syllable of citation. Analogous to quote, from quotation.
Noun
cite (plural cites)
- (informal) a citation
- We used the number of cites as a rough measure of the significance of each published paper.
Translations
citation — see citation
External links
- cite in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- cite in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- cite at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
French
Verb
cite
- first-person singular present indicative of citer
- third-person singular present indicative of citer
- first-person singular present subjunctive of citer
- third-person singular present subjunctive of citer
- second-person singular imperative of citer
Latin
Participle
cite
- vocative masculine singular of citus
References
- cite in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “cite”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
Middle English
Etymology
Old French cité, from Latin civitas
Noun
cite (plural cites)
Coordinate terms
Portuguese
Verb
cite
- First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of citar
- Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você?) present subjunctive of citar
- Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of citar
- Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of citar
Spanish
Verb
cite