cit

IPA/ˌɒp ˈsɪt/
KK[sˌiˌaɪtˈi]IPA/ˌɑːp ˈsɪt/

cit — adverb

1. a short form of the Latin expression 'opere citato' (in the work already mention

1.adverbB2
Definition

a short form of the Latin expression 'opere citato' (in the work already mentioned), used in academic footnotes or bibliographies after an author's name to show that the book or article has been referred to before, so the full title does not need to be written again.

Example

In footnotes, the reader sees 'Mert, cit., p. 87' instead of the full book title.

pattern: [Author], cit., p. [number] — in footnotes

The professor told students to put 'cit.' after a name cited earlier in the paper.

Common collocations
  • cit., p.
  • cit., pp.
  • cit., chapter
  • cit., footnote
Synonyms
  • op. cit.

    the full original Latin abbreviation ('opere citato'); 'cit.' is a shortened form

  • ibid.

    means 'in the same place' and refers to the exact same work AND page, not just the same work

Grammar Patterns

[Author], cit., p. [number]

cit., [page]

Usage Note

Only used in formal academic writing, typically in footnotes, endnotes, or bibliographies. The full Latin form is 'opere citato', but 'cit.' alone is common in modern style guides including Chicago and MLA.

Common Mistakes

I have read the book, cit. p. 23.
The author argues (cit., p. 23) that...
'cit.' is placed inside a citation or footnote, not used as a standalone adverb in regular sentences.
See Tanaka, cit. (1999), p. 45.
See Tanaka, cit., p. 45.
Do not add a year after 'cit.'; the abbreviation points to a previously cited work whose details are already given.

cit — abbreviation

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four are Latin abbreviations used in academic footnotes, but they refer to different things. 'Cit.' and 'op. cit.' (opus citatum / opere citato) both mean 'in the work cited' — they point to a book or article already mentioned, but the page number may be new. 'Ibid.' (ibidem, meaning 'in the same place') is more specific: it refers to the exact same work AND the same page listed in the previous footnote. 'Loc. cit.' (loco citato, 'in the place cited') refers to the exact same passage as a previous citation but not necessarily immediately above. For example: in a footnote you might write 'Henrik, p. 34' followed by 'Ibid.' (same page), then on a later page 'Henrik, cit., p. 87' (same work, different page).

cit.op. cit.ibid.loc. cit.

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cit. p.
  • cit. pp.
  • cit. chapter
  • US cit.
  • dual cit.

Phrases

  • cit., p. [number]
  • cit., pp. [range]

Prepositions

  • cit. of

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The abbreviation 'cit.' comes from Latin 'citatus' (cited, summoned) and is a shortened form of the phrase 'opere citato' meaning 'in the work cited'. The use of 'cit.' in footnotes became common in European scholarly publishing during the 17th century. As a short form of 'citation', 'cited', and 'citizen', it follows the same pattern of abbreviating common English words by keeping the first few letters (compare 'ed.' for edition, 'vol.' for volume, 'p.' for page).