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cito

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word cito

cito1 quickly

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*(ḱ)ei(h₂)-)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkɪ.toː], [ˈkɪ.tɔ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈt͡ʃiː.to][1]

Forms

citō̆ (comparative citius, superlative citissimē)[2][1] The final vowel is usually short.[3][1]

Etymology

The adverb is formed from citus (“quick”), the participle of cieō (“to set in motion”), with the ending -ō.[2][1][4] ⟨cieō⟩ goes back to Proto-Italic *ki-eje-, with the participle *kito- (“stirred”), and Proto-Indo-European *(ḱ)ei(h₂)- (“to start to move”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἔκιε (ékie, “started to move”) and κίνυμαι (kínumai, “to be moved”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has “neither birds nor winds could follow faster” in the Bacchides.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is with great speed, quickly or fast, as Cato's “if you want a vineyard to grow quickly”, and at an early moment, soon, as Plautus' “why are you coming back so soon?”.[2][1] Dictō citius, “sooner than said”, is no sooner said than done, as Virgil's Neptune, who calms the swollen sea at once; the Rhetorica ad Herennium has the proverb “nothing dries more quickly than a tear”.[2] It is also readily or with slight cause, as Cicero's “you believed it too readily about me”, and easily, mostly with a negative, as Varro's “it will not easily be found”.[2][3]

Church Latin glosses it “quickly, speedily, soon”,[6] and medieval Latin keeps the comparative citius as “quickly”.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of speed and of a quick return.[2][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato of a vineyard growing quickly.[2][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil: dictō citius.[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Quickly, fast, speedily.[2][1][6]
  2. Soon, before long;[2][1][6] dictō citius, no sooner said than done.[2]
  3. Readily, with slight cause.[2]
  4. Easily.[2]

cito2 set in motion, summon

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*(ḱ)ei(h₂)-)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkɪ.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈt͡ʃiː.to][1]

Forms

citō (present infinitive citāre, perfect active citāvī, supine citātum); first conjugation[1] Accius has the genitive plural participle citātum, and Catullus the passive infinitive citārier.[3]

Etymology

The verb is the frequentative of cieō (“to set in motion, stir”), formed with -tō.[2][3][1] De Vaan notes that ⟨cieō⟩ went out of use in Classical Latin and was replaced by ⟨citō⟩.[5] ⟨cieō⟩ goes back to Proto-Italic *ki-eje-, with the participle *kito- (“stirred”), and Proto-Indo-European *(ḱ)ei(h₂)- (“to start to move”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἔκιε (ékie, “started to move”) and κίνυμαι (kínumai, “to be moved”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has “he's not here.” “Then call him!” in the Pseudolus, and men who are not present when called in the Menaechmi.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is to set in motion or rouse, as Seneca's hurried steps, Statius' oars and Silius' spear, to put up game, and to stimulate.[2][3] In medicine it is to promote excretions, as Celsus' things that bring on urine, to draw something out, and of vines to put out shoots, as in Columella;[2] Cicero uses it of arousing an emotion.[2]

It is to call or summon, as Varro's augurs called by the consul, and in law to summon an accused person by name, as Cicero's “under what law the defendant is summoned”, to call a witness, to call jurors, and to summon the people to vote.[2][3][1] Church Latin glosses it “call, cite, summon, testify, name”.[6] English cite (mid-15th century) is from it through Old French, first as “to summon”.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of calling someone.[2][4]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro of augurs summoned.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of defendants and witnesses.[2][4]
  • 14–37 AD – Celsus of medicines that promote urine.[2][4]
  • mid-15th century – English cite is from it.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To set in motion, rouse; to stimulate.[2][3][1]
  2. To promote, draw out;[2] (of plants) to put out (shoots); to arouse.[2]
  3. To call, summon.[2][3][1][6]
  4. (law) To summon (a defendant); to call (a witness); to empanel (jurors).[2][3][6]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e f Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Cito.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cito. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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