Citing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsaɪtɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Referring to a source for evidence or support ; mentioning something as an illustration or example ; officially calling someone to appear, especially in legal context
2. Repeating or naming source material as proof ; using a case or instance to demonstrate a point ; formally requesting a person’s presence by legal or official document
3. Identifying a reference to back up a statement ; pointing out an example to clarify or justify ; issuing a formal order to attend a court or meeting

Etymology: "Citing" is the present participle of "cite," and its history runs back to a Latin verb meaning "to rouse" or "to summon." That verb, "citare," was a frequentative form of "ciēre," meaning "to set in motion" or "call," so the earliest sense was physical: stirring something up or calling someone forward. Through Old French "citer," the idea of summoning a person to appear, typically in a court, became central, and the notion of calling someone to answer carried over into English. The modern sense of quoting a source as evidence has a more recent and more ordinary origin. English "cite" is partly formed from the first syllable of "citation," in the same way "quote" was shortened from "quotation." Here the meaning shifted from calling a person into a legal forum to calling a text or authority into an argument, which is much the same act of summoning a witness, only with a book in place of a person.

Synonyms: quoting, referencing, acknowledging, noting