reference

(noun) a remark that calls attention to something or someone. Synonyms: mention. Examples: "She made frequent mention of her promotion." "There was no mention of it." "The speaker made several references to his wife."

(noun) a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage. Synonyms: citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit, mention, quotation. Examples: "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."

(noun) an indicator that orients you generally. Synonyms: reference point, point of reference. Examples: "It is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved."

(noun) a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts. Synonyms: reference book, reference work, book of facts. Examples: "He contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic."

(noun) a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability. Synonyms: character, character reference. Examples: "Requests for character references are all too often answered evasively."

(noun) the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to. Synonyms: denotation, extension. Examples: "The extension of `satellite of mars' is the set containing only demos and phobos."

(noun) the act of referring or consulting. Synonyms: consultation. Examples: "Reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer."

(noun) a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to. Synonyms: source. Examples: "He carried an armful of references back to his desk." "He spent hours looking for the source of that quotation."

(noun) (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored. Synonyms: address, computer address.

(noun) the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to. Examples: "He argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes."

(verb) refer to. Synonyms: cite. Examples: "He referenced his colleagues' work."