My son told me that one of his co-workers today insisted that "citate" is a word. As in, go and citate someone.

citate - Sc. Obs. (1640)
= to cite

citate

Seems a normal enough back-formation from citation. Same way we got orientate.

About vague etymologies: orientation, I mean why not 'occidentation'?

1839, originally "arrangement of a building, etc., to face east or any other specified direction," noun of action from orient (v.). Sense of "the action of determining one's bearings" is from 1868.

orientate AUGH! Squawk!! That is NOT a word! It ISN'T! No, no, no! [Tasmanian devil-spin e]

occidentation -- I love it!

And, tsuwm -- from what my son says, this co-worker probably doesn't even realize there was a 1640, let alone what words were used then.

Say what you will, orientate has always been a verb; orient is a verbed noun.

That is NOT a word!

I know how you feel, but it is a word in UK English. And, we all know how I feel about a certain synonym of schadenfreude. I never really cared much for orientate until the peevers started spinning in the dust. Now, I sort of like it. Orientize would be a shorter synonym. Wouldn't you really rather be a dervish than a dust devil?

[mumble grouse fracka-macka growf grumble] Ah take umbrage with you, sirs; umbrage, Ah say! (while trying to stifle my laughter)

The famous grouse produces a lot of fracka-macka. Umbrage, my word of the weekend, thank you very much, Jackie. I take it Umbrage is the brother of Umbrella?

Yup.

Woops--I should have said umbrage AT, apparently.
(Now, why am I suddenly thinking of under a wing?)

Although take umbrage at is more common, take umbrage with is not unknown in American English. It's practically unheard of in British English.