What does cit mean?
Cit is a chiefly British, now largely historical term of mild contempt for a townsman — particularly a wealthy city merchant seen as vulgar or socially inferior by the landed classes. Derived simply from "citizen," it emerged in the early 17th century, when England's growing urban mercantile class was becoming rich enough to rival the gentry, if not to match their manners. The word flourished in Restoration comedy and later social satire, where playwrights and novelists mocked the cit's pretensions to gentility. Though it has faded from everyday speech, cit survives as a colourful period word: to call someone a cit was to snub them on grounds of breeding rather than wealth. Its modern interest lies mainly in what it reveals about centuries-old tensions between town and country, commerce and aristocracy — a linguistic relic of Britain's class-conscious past that still resonates whenever new money meets old.
nounA cit is a contemptuous or humorous British term for a townsman, especially a wealthy merchant or city dweller viewed as vulgar by the landed gentry.
- A derogatory or humorous British term for a townsman or city merchant, especially one regarded as socially inferior or lacking refinement.
"The old duke sneered at the cit who had bought the estate next door."
"He dismissed his new neighbour as a mere cit with more money than taste."
"Restoration comedies delighted in mocking the cit who fancied himself a gentleman."
Standard pluralisation applies.
"The comedy is crowded with cits clamouring for knighthoods."
The gentry coined "cit" as an insult for city folk — essentially the 17th-century version of calling someone a city slicker.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cit
Cit derives directly from "citizen," formed as a clipped, colloquial shortening in the early 17th century. It belongs ultimately to the same Latin root as citizen itself — civis, meaning a member of a city or state — which also gives English words such as civic and civil. The term arose in a period of sharp social tension between the landed gentry and a newly prosperous urban merchant class, and it quickly took on a pejorative edge, implying vulgarity or lack of polish.
How cit is actually used
Cit is chiefly British, now largely archaic or historical, and carries a class-based, mildly derogatory connotation when used. It appears mostly in literature of the 17th to 19th centuries.
Easily confused with cit
Sit is a verb meaning to rest on one's buttocks, whereas cit is a noun meaning an urban commoner, though they rhyme and share spelling similarity.
Cite is a verb meaning to quote or reference a source, while cit is a dated British noun for a townsperson.