reference
noun
1. a remark that calls attention to something or someone
- the speaker made several references to his wife
Similar word(s): mention
Definition categories: communication, comment, input, remark
2. a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
Similar word(s): acknowledgment, citation, cite, credit, mention, quotation
Definition categories: communication, annotation, notation, note
3. an indicator that orients you generally
- it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved
Definition categories: communication, indicator
4. a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
- he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic
Definition categories: communication, book
5. a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability
- requests for character references are all too often answered evasively
Similar word(s): character
Definition categories: communication, recommendation, testimonial
6. the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
Similar word(s): denotation, extension
Definition categories: thought, meaning, substance
7. the act of referring or consulting
- reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer
Similar word(s): consultation
Definition categories: act, action
8. a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
- he carried an armful of references back to his desk
Similar word(s): source
Definition categories: communication, publication
9. (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
Similar word(s): address
Definition categories: communication, code
10. the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to
- he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes