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quote

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkwoʊt// UK //kwˈəʊt// quote Academic Archaic General-service

n. the exact words that someone else said or wrote. You use these to show what an expert thinks or to share a famous person's idea.

n. a repetition of the exact words used by another person, typically attributed to the original source. Often used in academic or journalistic contexts to provide evidence or authority.


SIMPLE

She included a famous quote in her essay.

CONTEXTUAL

The journalist used a direct quote from the mayor to ensure the report was accurate and fair.

COMPLEX

While the speaker provided several insightful quotes from historical figures, the lack of original analysis left the audience feeling that the presentation was somewhat derivative.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English quoten, coten (“to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references”), from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre (“to distinguish by numbers, number chapters”), itself from Latin quotus (“which, what number (in sequence)”), from quot (“how many”) and related to quis (“who”). The sense developed via “to give as a reference, to cite as an authority” to “to copy out exact words” (since 1680); the business sense “to state the price of a commodity” (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of “quotation,” is attested from 1885; see also usage note, below.

Usage

Commonly takes the preposition 'from' to indicate the source.

Pitfall

He gave me a quote of the book.He gave me a quote from the book.When identifying the source of a quote, use the preposition 'from' rather than 'of'.

Idioms1 entry

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