Quoting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Repeating words from another person exactly as originally spoken or written ; mentioning the name or work of a source to support a point
2. Using someone else's exact words in speech or writing ; referring to a person or text to back up information or provide evidence
3. Reciting or restating content verbatim from an original speaker or author ; citing a document, author, or publication as authority or reference

Etymology: Medieval scholars working in Latin needed a way to point readers to a passage, so they numbered the divisions of a text. The Medieval Latin verb "quotare" meant to mark something with numbers, and it grew from "quot," the Latin word for "how many." To quote a text was first to cite its numbered section, so the act of referring came before the act of reproducing. The sense then shifted from pointing to a passage toward repeating its wording. Writers who cited a numbered section often copied it out in full, and the verb came to mean reproducing another person's exact words. That is why it still carries the idea of a reference: quoting someone lifts their words and presents them as authority.

Synonyms: citing, referencing, repeating, reciting, mentioning