v. Also 5–7 cyte, 7 scite. [a. F. cite-r, ad. L. citāre to move, excite, summon, frequentative of ciēre, cīre to set in motion, call.]
1. To summon officially to appear in court of law, whether as principal or witness. Properly confined in England to eccles. law.
1483. Caxton, Cato, A viij. Euery persone whiche is cyted lawfully or rightfully befor his juge ordinarye.
1583. Babington, Commandm., ii. Wks. (1637), 23. An Heretike he is, a Run-away from the Church, cite him and summon him.
1616. R. C[rowley], Times’ Whist., VI. 2537. A litle mony from the law will quite thee, Fee but the Sumner, and he shall not cite thee.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. I. 72. Persons of Honour and great Quality … were every day cited into the High Commission Court.
1834. Ht. Martineau, Demerara, x. 115. Ladies have been frequently cited to answer the complaints of slaves.
1876. Green, Short Hist., V. 1 (1882), 217. Philip found an opportunity to cite the King before his court at Paris.
b. fig.
1574. trans. Marlorat’s Apocalips, 9. Paule citeth God, and Christ and the Angells togither for witnesses.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 175. Whose arguments we will here scite before the tribunall of Reason.
1857–8. Sears, Athan., III. v. 292. After appealing to Christ … citing witnesses.
2. gen. To summon, call; arouse, excite.
1534. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel., xxv. (R.). Incontinent we are cyted to hir subtyll trauailes of repentaunce.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., II. i. 34. I thinke it cites vs (Brother) to the field.
1718. Prior, Solomon, I. 30. This, sad experience cites me to reveal.
1740. Shenstone, Judgm. Hercules, 207. Wake the gay Loves and cite the young Desires.
1845–6. De Quincey, Shelley, Wks. VI. 14. In a storm cited by the finger of God he died.
3. To quote (a passage, book or author); gen. with implication of adducing as an authority.
1535. Joye, Apol. Tindale (Arb.), 11. As Rabbi Kimhy cyted of Bucere vpon that same verse taketh Judicium.
1576. Fleming, Panoplie Ep., 47. This vearse cited by Cicero, is not to bee founde in Euripides.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., I. iii. 99. The diuell can cite Scripture for his purpose.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., 3. Wee omit to cite to the same effect S. Cyrill.
1728. Pope, Dunc., I. 1, note. I cite the whole three verses.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Lit., Wks. (Bohn), II. 105. I could cite from the seventeenth century sentences and phrases of edge not to be matched in the nineteenth.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq., I. App. 757. The authority cited for the statement.
4. To bring forward an instance, to adduce or allege (anything) by way of example, proof, etc.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 3. It cites some remarkable Structures.
1756. C. Lucas, Ess. Waters, I. 40. These notions seem favored by some experiments cited from Glauber and others.
1804. Abernethy, Surg. Obs., 212. To cite those instances only which have come within my own knowledge.
1868. Peard, Water-Farm., i. 2. China … often cited as an example of national permanence.
1874. Helps, Soc. Press., iii. 52. As a proof of this, I may cite such a town as New York.
b. spec. in Law. To adduce as precedent.
1788. J. Powell, Devises (1827), II. 225. Lord Kenyon observed that the cases cited for him proceeded not on the formal or technical words.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, vi. Walter went on to cite various precedents.
1885. Sir W. V. Field, in Law Times Reports, LII. 652/2. A case which was cited to me of Denton v. Donner.
5. To call to mind; make mention of or reference to; refer to as so and so. † Also cite up.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., V. iii. 118. Me thinkes I do digresse too much, Cyting my worthlesse praise. Ibid. (1591), Two Gent., IV. i. 53. We cite our faults, That they may hold excus’d our lawlesse liues. Ibid. (1594), Rich. III., I. iv. 14. We cited vp a thousand heauy times … That had befalne vs.
1820. W. Irving, Sketch Bk., I. 190. Whilst a small cluster of English writers are constantly cited as the fathers of our verse.
1873. Act 36 & 37 Vict., c. 85 § 1. This Act may be cited as the Merchant Shipping Act, 1873.
† b. To bespeak, to evidence. Obs.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, I. iii. 216. Your selfe, Whose aged honor cites a vertuous youth.
