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quotes - 2 dictionary results

quote

  [kwoht] verb, quot⋅ed, quot⋅ing, noun
Use quotes in a Sentence
–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.
6. 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.
Cite This Source Link To quotes
quote   (kwōt)   
v.   quot·ed, quot·ing, quotes

v.   tr.
  1. To repeat or copy the words of (another), usually with acknowledgment of the source.
  2. To cite or refer to for illustration or proof.
  3. To repeat a brief passage or excerpt from: The saxophonist quoted a Duke Ellington melody in his solo.
  4. To state (a price) for securities, goods, or services.
v.   intr.
To give a quotation, as from a book.
n.  
  1. Informal A quotation.
  2. A quotation mark.
  3. Used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation.
  4. 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 kwo- 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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