Quote
late Middle English: from medieval Latin quotare, from quot ‘how many’, or from medieval Latin quota (see quota). The original sense was ‘mark a book with numbers, or with marginal references’, later ‘give a reference by page or chapter’, hence ‘cite a text or person’ (late 16th century).
wiktionary
From Middle English quoten, coten(“to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references”), from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre(“to distinguish by numbers, number chapters”), itself from Latin quotus(“which, what number (in sequence)”), from quot(“how many”) and related to quis(“who”). The sense developed via “to give as a reference, to cite as an authority” to “to copy out exact words” (since 1680); the business sense “to state the price of a commodity” (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of “quotation,” is attested from 1885; see also usage note, below.
etymonline
quote (v.)
late 14c., coten, "to mark or annotate (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French coter and directly from Medieval Latin quotare "distinguish by numbers, mark off into chapters and verses," from Latin quotus "which in order? what number (in sequence)?," from quot "how many," from PIE *kwo-ti-, from pronominal root *kwo-.
The sense development is via "to give as a reference, to cite as an authority" (1570s) to "to copy out or repeat exact words" (1670s), in writing or printing, "inclose within quotation marks." In Middle English also "to compute, reckon." The modern spelling with qu- is attested from early 15c. The business sense of "to state the price of a commodity" (1866) revives the etymological meaning. Also see unquote. Related: Quoted; quoting.
quote (n.)
"a quotation," 1885, from quote (v.). Earlier in a now-obsolete sense of "a marginal reference" (c. 1600). Quotes as short for quotation marks is by 1869.
