quote definition | Dictionary.com

quote

[kwoht]

verb, quot⋅ed, quot⋅ing, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, as by way of authority, illustration, etc.

2.	to repeat words from (a book, author, etc.).

3.	to use a brief excerpt from: The composer quotes Beethoven's Fifth in his latest work.

4.	to cite, offer, or bring forward as evidence or support.

5.	to enclose (words) within quotation marks.

Commerce.

a.	to state (a price).

b.	to state the current price of.

–verb (used without object)

7.	to make a quotation or quotations, as from a book or author.

8.	(used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation.)

–noun

9.	a quotation.

10.	quotation mark.

—Idiom

11.	quote unquote, so called; so to speak; as it were: If you're a liberal, quote unquote, they're suspicious of you.

Origin:
1350–1400; 1880–85 for def. 9; ME coten, quoten (< OF coter) < ML quotāre to divide into chapters and verses, deriv. of L quot how many

Related forms:

quoter, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To quote

quote (kwōt)

v. quot·ed, quot·ing, quotes

v. tr.

To repeat or copy the words of (another), usually with acknowledgment of the source.
To cite or refer to for illustration or proof.
To repeat a brief passage or excerpt from: The saxophonist quoted a Duke Ellington melody in his solo.
To state (a price) for securities, goods, or services.

v. intr.
To give a quotation, as from a book.
n.

Informal A quotation.
A quotation mark.
Used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation.
A dictum; a saying.

[Middle English coten, to mark a book with numbers or marginal references, from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre, to number chapters, from Latin quotus, of what number, from quot, how many; see k^wo- in Indo-European roots.]
quot'er n.

Usage Note: People have been using the noun quote as a truncation of quotation for over 100 years, and its use in less formal contexts is widespread today. Language critics have objected to this usage, however, as unduly journalistic or breezy. As such, it is best avoided in more formal situations. The Usage Panel, at least, shows more tolerance for the word as the informality of the situation increases. Thus, only 38 percent of Panelists accept the example He began the chapter with a quote from the Bible, but the percentage rises to 53 when the source of the quotation is less serious: He lightened up his talk by throwing in quotes from Marx Brothers movies.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Quote

Quote\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Quoting.] [OF. quoter, F. coter to letter, number, to quote, LL. quotare to divide into chapters and verses, fr. L. quotus. See Quota.] [Formerly written also cote.]

1. To cite, as a passage from some author; to name, repeat, or adduce, as a passage from an author or speaker, by way of authority or illustration; as, to quote a passage from Homer.

2. To cite a passage from; to name as the authority for a statement or an opinion; as, to quote Shakespeare.

3. (Com.) To name the current price of.

4. To notice; to observe; to examine. [Obs.] --Shak.

5. To set down, as in writing. [Obs.] "He's quoted for a most perfidious slave." --Shak.

Syn: To cite; name; adduce; repeat.

Usage: Quote, Cite. To cite was originally to call into court as a witness, etc., and hence denotes bringing forward any thing or person as evidence. Quote usually signifies to reproduce another's words; it is also used to indicate an appeal to some one as an authority, without adducing his exact words.

Quote

Quote\, n. A note upon an author. [Obs.] --Cotgrave.

Language Translation for : quote

Spanish: citar,

German: zitieren,

Japanese: 引用する

More Translations »

quote (v.)

1387, "to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references," from O.Fr. coter, from M.L. quotare "distinguish by numbers, number chapters," from L. quotus "which, what number (in sequence)," from quot "how many," related to quis "who." The sense development is via "to give as a reference, to cite as an authority" to "to copy out exact words" (1680). The business sense of "to state the price of a commodity" (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of "quotation," is attested from 1885. Quotable is from 1821. Unquote first recorded 1935, in a letter by e e cummings.

Quote

1. The last price at which a security or commodity traded, meaning the most recent price on which a buyer and seller agreed and at which some amount of the asset was transacted.

2. The bid or ask quotes are the most current prices and quantities at which the shares can be bought or sold. The bid quote shows the price and quantity at which a current buyer is willing to purchase the shares, while the ask shows what a current participant is willing to sell the shares for.

This is also known as an asset's "quoted price".

Investopedia Commentary

1. Quotes for stock and bond prices change throughout the trading day as new transactions occur one after another in a continual stream of trades. When you look up a stock quote for a given company, you are looking at the most recent price at which a trade was successfully executed for that particular security.

2. Potential investors or sellers in a company are more concerned about the bid and ask quotes as they reflect at what prices the stock can be bought or sold, while the price quote as defined in the first definition shows the price at which the stock traded most recently.

See also: Ask, Bid, Bond Quote, Quotation, Security, Stock Quote

Also spelled: quoted price

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