cite
UK[saɪt]US[saɪt]
v
To quote or refer to a piece of writing, a person, or an example as evidence or justification.
v
To mention someone or something as an example or proof.
v
To officially order someone to appear in a court of law.
Etymology
The verb 'cite' entered English in the late 15th century, borrowed from the Old French 'citer', which itself derives from the Latin 'citare', meaning 'to summon, to call, to put in motion'. This Latin root is a frequentative form of 'ciēre', meaning 'to set in motion, to call'. The core semantic thread from its ancient origin to its modern usage is the act of 'calling forth'—whether summoning a person to court, calling upon an authority in an argument, or bringing a passage from a text into a discussion as supporting evidence. The evolution from a physical summons to an intellectual reference illustrates a classic pattern of semantic abstraction.
Analysis
The word 'cite' is a simplex loanword from Latin. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes in its modern English spelling.
Examples
The author failed to cite any sources for his controversial claims.
She was cited for her outstanding contributions to the field of medical research.
The judge cited a precedent from a similar case to support his ruling.