Quotation

/kwoʊˈteɪʃən/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonLiterature
2 meanings2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A passage or phrase from a book, speech, etc., cited by someone.

/kwoʊˈteɪʃən/

nounneutralBeginner
Literature

A passage or expression that is quoted or cited

The professor provided a quotation from the philosopher to support his argument.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're writing an email. A quotation is like when you copy and paste what someone else said, so everyone knows it's not your original idea. It's a way of sharing someone else’s words, ideas, or numbers, often in writing but also in speech.

👶 For kids: When someone says something and you write it down exactly how they said it, that's a quotation!

More Examples

2

The report contained several key quotations from industry experts.

3

She memorized a famous quotation for her speech.

How It's Used

Literary

"The essay included several quotations from Shakespeare."

Business

"The company provided a quotation for the construction project."

Journalism

"The article included direct quotations from the witness."

2

A price given by a dealer or supplier for a product or service.

/kwoʊˈteɪʃən/

nounneutralmedium
Technology

A statement of the current price of a security or commodity

The financial analyst provided a quotation of the current market value.

💡 Simply: Think about when you want to buy something. A quotation is like when a store gives you a price tag or an estimate of how much something will cost, like getting a quotation for fixing your car.

👶 For kids: A quotation is when you ask how much something costs, like a toy or candy.

More Examples

2

The contractor gave us a quotation for the renovation work.

3

I requested a quotation for the services.

How It's Used

Finance

"The stock quotation showed the price had dropped."

Business

"The construction company provided a quotation for the roofing project."

Tip:Relate 'quotation' to asking for the price.

Idioms & expressions

quotation marks

Punctuation marks used to indicate quoted material.

"She put the words in quotation marks."

misquotation

A quotation that is inaccurate or incorrectly attributed.

"The politician was accused of a misquotation."

From Middle French *quotation* or directly from Latin *quotatio* ("a quoting, a citation"), from *quotare* (“to quote”), from *quot* (“how many, as many as”).

The word "quotation" first appeared in English in the early 16th century, originally referring to the act of quoting. Its financial meaning developed later.

Memory tip

Think of a 'quotation' as a direct quote someone says. A 'quote' from another source.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to quote, to cite."

famous quotationdirect quotationfinancial quotationstock quotationrequest a quotationprovide a quotationuse quotation marksgive a quotation

Common misspellings

quotasionquotashion

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written