quotation — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A fragment of a human expression that is repeated by somebody else, for example from literature or a famous speech.

   Usage

   • Countable

   Synonyms

   citationcitequote

   Examples

   "Where they burn books, they will also burn people" is a famous quotation from Heinrich Heine.

2. The act of quoting someone or something.

   Usage

   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   citation

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   One of these preachers was a blacksmith, whose iron constitution had entirely given way, and the little strength that remained he exhausted in endless quotation of texts from the Bible.

   Mr. [Augustine] Birrell has, as usual, quoted very liberally, and to excellent effect. Quotation is an art the difficulty of which may easily be underrated by paragraph-writers or by persons who do not write at all. You may say no end of wise things about a writer, and yet fail to convey a sense of the peculiar flavor for which you really value him. To insinuate a phrase or verse of our author into the midst of our own readable (because ephemeral) discourse, is all most of us may do, without giving our readers an unpalatable suspicion that they are being seduced into the perusal of a real author. Mr. Birrell quotes by the page, and we gratefully read every line because we are sure Mr. Birrell, at least, is incapable of asking us to read anything inconsequent or dull.

   In his mature works, [Chinary] Ung pays regular homage to Cambodian music by evoking its ambience without resorting to quotation of specific Cambodian melodies.

3. A price that has been quoted for buying or selling.

   Usage

   • Countable

   Examples

   Let's get a quotation for repairing the roof before we decide whether it's worth doing.

4. The act of setting a price.

   Usage

   • Uncountable

5. A quota, a share.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete

Noun

1. a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage

   Synonyms

   citationciteacknowledgmentcreditreferencemention

   Broader terms

   noteannotationnotation

   Examples

   the student's essay failed to list several important citations

   the acknowledgments are usually printed at the front of a book

   More examples (1)

   the article includes mention of similar clinical cases

2. a passage or expression that is quoted or cited

   Synonyms

   quotecitation

   Broader terms

   excerptexcerptionextractselection

3. a statement of the current market price of a security or commodity

   Broader terms

   statement

4. the practice of quoting from books or plays etc.

   Broader terms

   practicepattern

   Examples

   since he lacks originality he must rely on quotation