Meaning

noun an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement

noun (law) the act of citing (as of spoken words or written passages or legal precedents etc.)

noun a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage

originFrom Middle English citacioun, from Old French citation, from Latin citātiō. By surface analysis, cite + -ation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0