(1) A legal citation, a legal reference which may be to a court decision, statute or the like. (2) A summons or notice of a charge with a lesser crime that provides a date, time and court where the defendant is required to appear to answer to the charge. The defendant is not arrested for the lesser crime.
Law Dictionary – Alternative Legal Definition
L. Fr. City; a city. Cite de Loundr, city of London. To summon; to command the presence of a person; to notify a person of legal proceedings against him and require his appearance thereto. To read or refer to legal authorities, in an argument to a court or elsewhere, in support of propositions of law sought to be established.