cited

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of cite.

   The author cited several studies to back up her claims.

   His paper has been cited hundreds of times since publication.

   Note

   One spelling does double duty here. It is the plain past (she cited two studies) and also the participle that follows have or be (has been cited, was cited). Only the auxiliary tells the two apart. The passive can also carry cite's courtroom meaning of an official summons: a witness cited to appear is being called, not quoted. Before a noun, the participle settles into the adjective for sourced material.

2. 2
   adjective

   Accompanied by a citation that identifies the source it comes from.

   Every cited claim in the thesis pointed to a published study.

   The cited passages were listed in full at the end of the chapter.

   Oppositeunsourced, unreferenced

   Note

   An adjective that grew out of the participle and, unlike most participles, takes degrees: more cited, most cited. The superlative shifts the meaning slightly. The most cited paper in a field is the one others refer to most often, so it measures influence rather than marking that a claim has a source. Before a noun it reads as an adjective. After has been or was, it reads as the verb.

   It remains the most cited paper in the field.

   Her later work is more cited than her first book.

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