What does reference mean?
Definitions for reference
ˈrɛf ər əns, ˈrɛf rənsref·er·ence
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word reference.
Princeton's WordNet
mention, reference(noun)
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, quotation(noun)
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, reference(noun)
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 facts(noun)
a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
"he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic"
character, reference, character reference(noun)
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, extension(noun)
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, consultation(noun)
the act of referring or consulting
"reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer"
reference, source(noun)
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, reference(noun)
(computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
reference(verb)
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, cite(verb)
refer to
"he referenced his colleagues' work"
Wiktionary
reference(Noun)
A relationship or relation (to something).
reference(Noun)
A measurement one can compare to.
reference(Noun)
Information about a person, provided by someone (a referee) with whom they are well acquainted
reference(Noun)
A reference work.
reference(Noun)
A relation between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object.
reference(Noun)
A short written identification of a previously published work which is used as a source for a text.
reference(Noun)
A previously published written work thus indicated; a source.
reference(Noun)
An object containing information which refers to data stored elsewhere, as opposed to containing the data itself.
reference(Verb)
to refer to, to make reference to, to cite
Reference the dictionary for word meanings.
reference(Verb)
to mention
Webster Dictionary
Reference(noun)
the act of referring, or the state of being referred; as, reference to a chart for guidance
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
that which refers to something; a specific direction of the attention; as, a reference in a text-book
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
relation; regard; respect
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
one who, or that which, is referred to
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
one of whom inquires can be made as to the integrity, capacity, and the like, of another
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
a work, or a passage in a work, to which one is referred
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
the act of submitting a matter in dispute to the judgment of one or more persons for decision
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
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
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Reference(noun)
appeal
Etymology: [See Refer.]
Freebase
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
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
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
Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo:
It is a disturbing consequence of modern biological technology that the fate of the nascent human life, which the Embryos in this case represent, must be determined in a court by reference to cold legal principles.
The late Mr. Archie Augustine (a Roman Catholic) from Estcourt, Kwa Zulu Natal put it beautifully when he said the following about the Qur’an: “Despite your religious or non-religious attitudes, the Holy Qur’aan is a boon to your intellectual and moral strength. Even if you are not concerned with moral issues, then pamper your intellectual curiosity and read the Qur’aan. The greater the level of your education, in any field, or the greater your social or political standing in your community, the more reason why you should procure your own copy of the Book and begin to read it”. “Nothing, but nothing, is left ambiguous or unanswered. It is a Book of Law interwoven in morality till it touches every facet of the human experience. It includes politics, economics, moral behaviour, personal cleanliness and propriety, inter-family relationships, bequests and inheritance, inter-religious respect and tolerance, charity, the sin of taking and of giving commercial interest, the importance of prayer, the belief in ONE GOD, religious-sociology and oneness of humankind. Bring any manner or word, concept or subject matter to mind and you will find, not only a reference to such a matter, but a treatise, succinctly and poignantly illustrating, advising, illuminating and directing”. A POEM ON THE HOLY QURAN WRITTEN SOME 35 YEARS AGO BY THE NINTH PRESIDENT OF INDIA, DR. PANDIT SHANKER DAYAL SHARMA: (IT WAS A COMMAND FOR ACTION. YOU TURNED IT INTO A BOOK OF PRAYER.) (IT WAS A BOOK TO UNDERSTAND. YOU READ IT WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING.) (IT WAS A CODE FOR THE LIVING. YOU TURNED IT INTO A MANIFESTO OF THE DEAD.) (THAT WHICH WAS A BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE; YOU ABDICATED TO THE IGNORAMUS). (IT CAME TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE OF CREATION. YOU ABANDONED IT TO THE MADRASA.) (IT CAME TO GIVE LIFE TO DEAD NATIONS. YOU USED IT FOR SEEKING MERCY FOR THE DEAD.) (O’ MUSLIMS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?)
It’s basically a character reference, and they’re saying, ‘For what it’s worth, my experience with him has always been honorable, and he’s always treated me well.’ And I understand that. Because when you love the person being under attack, you want to say, ‘This has been my experience.'.
I think the biblical reference she was trying to say was more to upholding the law, and less so to separating people from their children.
The danger of disturbing the public tranquillity by interesting too strongly the public passions, is a still more serious objection against a frequent reference of constitutional questions to the decision of the whole society.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for reference
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- إشارةArabic
- odkazCzech
- Referenz, referenzieren, QuelleGerman
- πηγέςGreek
- referencoEsperanto
- referenciaSpanish
- referents, soovitus, viitama, allikasEstonian
- referenssi, viitata, viite, suositus, lähdeviittaus, mainita, vertausarvo, lähdeFinnish
- recommandation, référenceFrench
- iomradhScottish Gaelic
- referansHaitian Creole
- riferimentoItalian
- 参考, 照会, 参照する, 出典, 言及する, 照会先Japanese
- ಉಲ್ಲೇಖKannada
- 참조, 참고, 參照, 參考Korean
- سهرچاوهKurdish
- referente, referentie, referentDutch
- henvisningNorwegian
- naaltsoos bitsʼą́ą́dóó ééhóziniiNavajo, Navaho
- odnosić się doPolish
- referenciar, referência, mencionarPortuguese
- referință, sursă de referințăRomanian
- референция, ссылаться, рекомендация, характеристика, ссылка, отношение, упоминать, поручительство, отсылка, источник, образец, СправкаRussian
- källhänvisning, källaSwedish
- குறிப்புTamil
- referans, kaynakTurkish
- довідкаUkrainian
- ریفرنسUrdu
- tài liệu tham khảoVietnamese
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"reference." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 26 Feb. 2021. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/reference>.