Cite
/saɪt/noun
To quote or refer to a source, authority, or example.
Did you know?English cite comes through French from Latin *citare*, a frequentative of *ciere* meaning “to summon” or “put in motion,” so the word’s oldest energy is not academic at all, but coercive and ceremonial.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*k̑ei-
“to set in motion, stir up”
Latin
Latin
ciere
“to set in motion, rouse, summon”
Latin
Latin
citare
“to summon, call forth, put in motion”
Old French
Old French
citer
“to summon, cite in law; quote”
Middle English
English
citen
“to summon to court; call upon as authority”
Modern English
English
cite
“to quote or refer to a source or authority”