Citée

Citée is the feminine form of the past participle of the French verb citer, meaning “quoted” or “cited.” It is used as an adjective or as a past participle that agrees with a feminine noun. The masculine form is cité, and the feminine plural is citées. The word is distinct from the noun cité, which means “city” and has a separate origin and use.

Usage and grammar

As an adjective, citée agrees with the feminine noun it describes: la source citée (the quoted source). In phrases using the auxiliary avoir, the past participle may also agree with a preceding direct object, so you can see forms like les sources citées in a relative clause such as les sources citées dans le rapport. In general, feminine agreement follows standard French rules: citées for feminine plural, citée for feminine singular. Examples: La source citée dans le rapport est fiable. Les personnes citées dans l’enquête ont été entendues. Selon les sources citées, le financement est assuré.

Notes

Citée is often used in academic and journalistic writing to indicate that information has been referenced or mentioned in a text. The spelling citée is distinct from citié in pronunciation and from the noun cité (city). While related in meaning to “cite,” the feminine past participle is a grammatical form rather than a standalone noun.