What does reference mean?
Definitions for reference
ˈrɛf ər əns, ˈrɛf rənsref·er·ence
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word reference.
Princeton's WordNet
mention, referencenoun
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
"she made frequent mention of her promotion"; "there was no mention of it"; "the speaker made several references to his wife"
citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit, reference, mention, quotationnoun
a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
"the student's essay failed to list several important citations"; "the acknowledgments are usually printed at the front of a book"; "the article includes mention of similar clinical cases"
reference point, point of reference, referencenoun
an indicator that orients you generally
"it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved"
reference book, reference, reference work, book of factsnoun
a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
"he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic"
character, reference, character referencenoun
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"
reference, denotation, extensionnoun
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
"the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos"
reference, consultationnoun
the act of referring or consulting
"reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer"
reference, sourcenoun
a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
"he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation"
address, computer address, referencenoun
(computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
referenceverb
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"
reference, citeverb
refer to
"he referenced his colleagues' work"
Wiktionary
referencenoun
A relationship or relation (to something).
referencenoun
A measurement one can compare to.
referencenoun
Information about a person, provided by someone (a referee) with whom they are well acquainted
referencenoun
A reference work.
referencenoun
A relation between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object.
referencenoun
A short written identification of a previously published work which is used as a source for a text.
referencenoun
A previously published written work thus indicated; a source.
referencenoun
An object containing information which refers to data stored elsewhere, as opposed to containing the data itself.
referenceverb
to refer to, to make reference to, to cite
Reference the dictionary for word meanings.
referenceverb
to mention
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Referencenoun
Etymology: from refer.
The knowledge of that which man is in reference unto himself and other things in relation unto man, I may term the mother of all those principles, which are decrees in that law of nature, whereby human actions are framed. Richard Hooker.
Jupiter was the son of Æther and Dies; so called, because the one had reference to his celestial conditions, the other discovered his natural virtues. Walter Raleigh, History of the World.
Christian religion commands sobriety, temperance and moderation, in reference to our appetites and passions. John Tillotson.
It passed in England without the least reference hither. Jonathan Swift.
ChatGPT
reference
A reference is a citation or mentioning of a source of information, such as a book, article, or website, that is used to support or provide evidence for a claim or statement. It is a way of acknowledging and giving credit to the original source of information or data. References are commonly included in academic papers, research reports, and other forms of formal writing to provide credibility and allow readers to verify the claims made by the author.
Webster Dictionary
Referencenoun
the act of referring, or the state of being referred; as, reference to a chart for guidance
Referencenoun
that which refers to something; a specific direction of the attention; as, a reference in a text-book
Referencenoun
relation; regard; respect
Referencenoun
one who, or that which, is referred to
Referencenoun
one of whom inquires can be made as to the integrity, capacity, and the like, of another
Referencenoun
a work, or a passage in a work, to which one is referred
Referencenoun
the act of submitting a matter in dispute to the judgment of one or more persons for decision
Referencenoun
the process of sending any matter, for inquiry in a cause, to a master or other officer, in order that he may ascertain facts and report to the court
Referencenoun
appeal
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Wikidata
Reference
Reference is a relation between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to refer to the second object. The second object – the one to which the first object refers – is called the referent of the first object. The term reference is used in many spheres of human knowledge, adopting shades of meaning particular to the contexts in which it is used. References can take on many forms, including: a thought, a sensory perception that is audible, visual, olfactory, or tactile, emotional state, relationship with other, spacetime coordinate, symbolic or alpha-numeric, a physical object or an energy projection; but, other concrete and abstract contexts exist as methods of defining references within the scope of the various fields that require an origin, point of departure, or an original form. This includes methods that intentionally hide the reference from some observers, as in cryptography. The following sections give specific usages of reference in different subjects.
Editors Contribution
reference
A source for a specific form of data, facts, information, research or statistics.
The reference for the media article is accurate, fair and just.
Submitted by MaryC on March 20, 2020
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'reference' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1341
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'reference' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1692
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'reference' in Nouns Frequency: #457
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of reference in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of reference in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of reference in a Sentence
It might mean that she loses her job or it might mean that she decides to go for another job but can't get a reference from her former employer, it might mean she's being denied promotions.
The reference to... alleged conduct from high school or shoplifting is absurd and has nothing to do with Ahmaud Arbery murder.
And any reference to the Capitol riot will only unfairly prejudice the jury against Fox, inflame passions, prevent a fair trial, and taint any resulting verdict.
A comment posted on the Manchester United striker’s Instagram page was insulting, abusive, improper and brought the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3.1, the post also constitutes an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race and/or ethnic origin.
The bond between our nations was forever sealed in that great crusade, as we honor our shared victory and heritage, we affirm the common values that will unite us long into the future; freedom, sovereignty, self-determination, the rule of law and reference for the rights given to us by almighty God.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for reference
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- إشارةArabic
- odkazCzech
- Quelle, Referenz, referenzierenGerman
- πηγέςGreek
- referencoEsperanto
- referenciaSpanish
- referents, soovitus, viitama, allikasEstonian
- vertausarvo, viite, mainita, suositus, viitata, lähdeviittaus, referenssi, lähdeFinnish
- référence, recommandationFrench
- iomradhScottish Gaelic
- referansHaitian Creole
- riferimentoItalian
- 参照する, 照会先, 照会, 言及する, 参考, 出典Japanese
- ಉಲ್ಲೇಖKannada
- 참조, 참고, 參照, 參考Korean
- سهرچاوهKurdish
- referente, referentie, referentDutch
- henvisningNorwegian
- naaltsoos bitsʼą́ą́dóó ééhóziniiNavajo, Navaho
- odnosić się doPolish
- referenciar, mencionar, referênciaPortuguese
- sursă de referință, referințăRomanian
- Справка, референция, ссылаться, рекомендация, образец, источник, характеристика, ссылка, отношение, отсылка, упоминать, поручительствоRussian
- källa, källhänvisningSwedish
- குறிப்புTamil
- referans, kaynakTurkish
- довідкаUkrainian
- ریفرنسUrdu
- tài liệu tham khảoVietnamese
Get even more translations for reference »
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