What does citification mean?
Citification is a rare, formal noun meaning a legal notice summoning a person to appear before a court, as well as, more broadly, the act of citing. In contemporary usage it is most often encountered in legal records and court documents, especially in the Philippines and some other jurisdictions influenced by common-law procedure. A citification tells an addressee that legal proceedings require their presence and may explain the consequences of failing to appear; it is therefore more specific than a generic notice. The related word citation is much more common and usually means either a source reference in academic writing or a formal reference to legal authority. Citification should likewise not be confused with certification, which is an authoritative attestation that something meets stated requirements. Outside legal contexts, citification is uncommon, and citation is normally the clearer and more idiomatic choice.
nounA formal legal notice summoning a person to appear before a court, or the act of issuing such a notice. More generally, it can mean the act of citing a source or legal authority.
- A formal legal notice or summons requiring a person to appear before a court, and by extension the process of issuing or serving that notice.
- The act of citing a source, quotation, or legal authority.
"The court issued a citification directing the respondent to appear on 14 October."
"The court issued a citification directing the respondent to appear on 14 October."
"Her citification of the primary source gave the historical argument greater authority."
The plural is used when referring to multiple legal notices or separate instances of the act of citing.
"The case file contains copies of all citifications issued to the parties."
A citification is the formal knock on the door of a court case: it tells someone that they are expected to appear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does citification come from?
Citification was formed in English by adding the productive suffix -ification to cite. Cite comes through Old French citer from Latin citare, “to call, summon,” which is also the source of citation and citatory. The same Latin verb underlies cognates such as recite and recitation, which carry an additional prefix.
How citification is actually used
This is a rare and strongly formal word outside legal contexts. In Philippine legal usage it commonly denotes a court notice to appear; elsewhere it is chiefly encountered in legal documents. In academic prose, citation is normally the more natural term.
Easily confused with citification
A citation identifies a source, quotation, or legal authority, whereas a citification more specifically serves as a formal notice summoning someone to appear.
Certification is an authoritative attestation that something meets stated requirements, not a notice summoning a person before a court.