Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Quotation for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Quotation" — noun, pronounced /kwəʊˈteɪʃən/, with the stress on "ta".
Narrator: A quotation is a group of words taken from a text or speech, or a formal statement of a price.
Narrator: In plain English, a quotation is either a famous quote or a price quote — the formal version of the word quote.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin quotare, meaning to mark with numbers, from quotus meaning how many.
Narrator: "A quotation from Shakespeare" describes words taken from one of the Bard's plays and repeated by someone else.
Narrator: It differs from quote because quotation is the more formal, full word, whereas quote is the informal short form.
Narrator: "To request a quotation" is a commercial sense meaning to ask a supplier for a formal price estimate.
Narrator: Literature, business, journalism, academia and public speaking all rely on the word quotation.
Narrator: So remember: a quotation is a formal quote or price, from the Latin for to mark with numbers.
Speaker A: Is a quotation the same as a quote?
Speaker B: The formal version! QUOTATION comes from the Latin quotare, to mark with numbers, so it's the full word for a repeated passage or a formal price, while quote is the short form.
Speaker A: So you request a quotation for a price?
Speaker B: Exactly — that's the formal way!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "She used a quotation"; "request a quotation"; "the quotation was competitive" — a passage, a price request and an estimate.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't abbreviate quotation to quote in formal writing, because quotation is preferred in academic and legal contexts.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Quote" the everyday cousin, "citation" the academic twin, "estimate" the pricing alternative. The word keeps its formal charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "quotation" in AI prompts — useful for academic-writing tools and procurement apps.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame a citation?
Speaker B: Right. For a writing app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide on how to introduce a quotation in an essay, naming two signal phrases.
Speaker A: How about a procurement tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to frame a request:
Prompt: Draft a procurement email requesting a quotation for office furniture, mentioning two items and a deadline.
Speaker A: Could it help with a speech bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame an opener:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences why opening a speech with a quotation engages listeners, naming one benefit.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a literature chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on a famous Shakespeare quotation, giving the play and one interpretation.
Quotation — meaning in Arabic & definition More Q courses GL Dictionary