citation

[ sahy-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Military. mention of a soldier or a unit in orders, usually for gallantry:

   She received a presidential citation.

2. any award or commendation, as for outstanding service, hard work, or devotion to duty, especially a formal letter or statement recounting a person's achievements.

   Synonyms: kudos, reward, laurel, honor, award

3. a summons, especially to appear in court.
4. a document containing such a summons.
5. the act of citing or quoting a reference to an authority or a precedent.
6. a passage cited; quotation.

   Synonyms: quote, extract, passage, excerpt

7. Also . a quotation showing a particular word or phrase in context.
8. Also . mention or enumeration.

citation

/ ˈsaɪtətərɪ; -trɪ; saɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the quoting of a book or author in support of a fact
2. a passage or source cited for this purpose
3. a listing or recounting, as of facts
4. an official commendation or award, esp for bravery or outstanding service, work, etc, usually in the form of a formal statement made in public
5. law
   1. an official summons to appear in court
   2. the document containing such a summons
6. law the quoting of decided cases to serve as guidance to a court

Derived Forms

• citatory, adjective

Other Words From

• ci·tation·al adjective
• nonci·tation noun
• preci·tation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of citation¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English citacio(u)n, from Late Latin citātiōn- (stem of citātiō ), equivalent to Latin citāt(us), past participle of citāre “to set in motion, call before a court” + -iōn- noun suffix; cite ¹none, -ion none

Example Sentences

In response to questions about overall police enforcement of a seditious language law, he sent VOSD the definition of a citation.

From Voice of San Diego

Nearly half of the citations went to people between 19 and 28 years old.

From Voice of San Diego

List your business in the largest and most relevant directories for your city or region to get the most coverage from relevant citations.

From Search Engine Watch

Structured citations an essential element in local SEO despite the reduced effectiveness they once had as a ranking factor.

From Search Engine Watch

You don’t need a lot of these sites to complete an effective citation profile.

From Search Engine Watch

That officer believed my fair-skinned son was white, according to the traffic citation I examined.

From The Daily Beast

The university claims students can face a citation or fine for violating the UNO smoking prohibition.

From The Daily Beast

The sort of reader who believes that typing Do you have a citation for that?

From The Daily Beast

Saying so is to make a statement so obvious as to defy the need for citation.

From The Daily Beast

Jamelle calls the act of crossing the border a minor deal, akin to a traffic citation.

From The Daily Beast

It is often convenient for a teacher, and others, to recall the number of a page of a book in which a citation is found.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the latest work on the subject, especially rich in the citation of authorities.

From Project Gutenberg

We should deal unfairly with it were we to attempt either citation or summary.

From Project Gutenberg

Here, certainly, as in the previous citation, the idea is not identical with that expressed by Hamlet.

From Project Gutenberg

The laws of Lycurgus were in many instances utterly subversive of morality, and too outrageous for citation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• commendation
• summons