citation

American  

[sahy-tey-shuhn] / saɪˈteɪ ʃən /

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.

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citation British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• citational adjective
• citatory adjective
• noncitation noun
• precitation noun

Etymology

Origin of citation

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 ¹ , -ion

Example Sentences

In December, he said, he was painting a legal “but unmarked” crosswalk in Westwood — for safety reasons but also as an act of protest — and was handcuffed by police who issued him a vandalism citation.

From Los Angeles Times

He said there were 485 citations issued, 84 arrests, one firearm seized from someone from out of town and 122 medical calls in the Isla Vista area to Emergency Medical Services.

From Los Angeles Times

Stern was not arrested at the time but instead issued a citation by investigators.

From Los Angeles Times

The publication also shares some of the murky citation practices of contemporary social media.

From Los Angeles Times

Cohen: I want to pick up on Henry’s comments about companies’ differentiated success in implementing AI, and Rajiv’s citation of the MIT study indicating that many companies are just spending money without seeing value.

From Barron's

Related Words

• commendation
• summons