cite

See also: cité and citë

English

Etymology 1

From Old French citer, from Latin citare (“to cause to move, excite, summon”), frequentative of ciēre (“to rouse, excite, call”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sīt, IPA^(key): /saɪt/
• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophones: sight, site

Verb

cite (third-person singular simple present cites, present participle citing, simple past and past participle cited)

1. 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.

2. to list the source(s) from which one took information, words or literary or verbal context.
3. 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

• cital
• citation

Translations

quote — see quote

See also

• attest
• quote

Etymology 2

From the first syllable of citation. Analogous to quote, from quotation.

Noun

cite (plural cites)

1. (informal) a citation

   We used the number of cites as a rough measure of the significance of each published paper.

Translations

citation — see citation

Further reading

• cite in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• cite in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• cite at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• -etic, CETI, EITC, Tice, etic, tice

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French

Verb

cite

1. first-person singular present indicative of citer
2. third-person singular present indicative of citer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of citer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of citer
5. second-person singular imperative of citer

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Latin

Participle

cite

1. vocative masculine singular of citus

References

• cite in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• cite in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• site, citee, city

Etymology

Old French cité, from Latin civitas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siˈteː/

Noun

cite (plural cites)

1. city
   • a. 1382,, Wycliffe's Bible, Luke 8:1:

     And it was don aftirward, and Jhesu made iorney by citees and castelis, prechinge and euangelysinge þe rewme of God

     And it was done afterwards, and Jesus made a journey through cities and castles, proclaiming and spreading the kingdom of God.

Coordinate terms

• toun

Descendants

• English: city
• Scots: ceety

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Portuguese

Verb

cite

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of citar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of citar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of citar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of citar

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• (Castilian) IPA^(key): /ˈθite/, [ˈθit̪e]
• (Latin America) IPA^(key): /ˈsite/, [ˈsit̪e]

Verb

cite

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of citar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of citar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of citar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of citar.