ciation

Ciation is not a standard term in linguistics or lexicography. In most contexts, it is encountered only as part of longer words that end in the Latin-derived suffix -ation. The sequence -ciation appears in forms such as citation and recitation, among others. As a standalone term, ciation has no widely recognized definition in major dictionaries, and linguists typically treat it as a string in the spelling of words rather than as an independent morpheme or process.

Etymology and formation: The words that contain ciation commonly derive from verbs such as cite or recite, with the noun-forming suffix -ation appended. This results in spellings like citation and recitation. The presence of the letter cluster -ciation reflects the historical combination of a root ending in -cite or -cite-like forms with the -ation suffix. The pronunciation of the -ation ending in these words traditionally yields the familiar stress pattern and /eɪʃən/ or /ɪəʃən/ realizations in English, depending on the word.

Examples and usage: Notable examples include citation (a reference to a source) and recitation (the act of reciting). Another valid term is miscitation, meaning an incorrect or inappropriate citation. Because ciation is not treated as an independent affix, its appearance is analyzed in terms of the underlying root and the standard -ation suffix, rather than as a productive morphological unit.

See also: -ation suffix; citation; recitation; miscitation.