Cite: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：quote (cite)

cite 🔊

/saɪt/

vt.

To mention or quote something from a book, article, or person to support what you are saying.

Cite meaning illustrated: student highlighting a textbook and typing a reference on a laptop.

quote 🔊

➕

/kwoʊt/

vt.

To quote or refer to a piece of writing, a person, or a source of information as evidence or justification for an argument or statement.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'citare' (to set in motion, to summon), related to 'ciere' (to put in motion).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: **Site a Citation**. When you CITE a source, you SITE a specific piece of evidence in your writing.

📖 Example

In her essay on climate change, she cited three recent scientific studies to support her argument. 🔊 She quoted three recent scientific studies as evidence for her argument in the climate change essay.

🔗 Collocations

cite sources – to provide references to the origins of information

cite evidence – to refer to specific facts or data to support a claim

cite an example – to mention a specific instance to illustrate a point

🔄 Synonyms

quote (v.) – To repeat the exact words from a text or speech.

refer to (v. phrase) – To mention or allude to a source or piece of information.

mention (v.) – To speak about something briefly, often without giving a full quote.

🚫 Antonyms

contradict (v.) – To state the opposite of a claim or source.

ignore (v.) – To deliberately pay no attention to a source or information.

🌱 Derivatives

citation (n.) – A quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work.

citable (adj.) – Suitable for being cited or quoted.

recite (v.) – To repeat aloud from memory, often from a text.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'cite' entered English in the 15th century via Old French 'citer', from Latin 'citare'. Its legal meaning, 'to summon before a court', is closest to its original Latin sense of 'to put in motion'. This evolved into the academic sense of 'summoning' a source as proof.