reference

To provide a list of references for (a text).

Noun

  1. A relationship or relation (to something).
    • A man is beloued of a man, in that he is a man, but all theſe are farre more eminent and great, when they ſhal proceed from a ſanctified ſpirit, that hath a true touch of Religion, and a reference to God. - 1624,...
  2. A measurement one can compare (some other measurement) to.
  3. Information about a person, provided by someone (a referee) with whom they are well acquainted.
    • Changes will befall, and friends may part, / But distance only cannot change the heart / And were I call’d to prove th’ assertion true, / One proof should serve—a reference to you. - a. 1800, William Cowper, “An Epistle...
  4. A person who provides this information; a referee.
  5. A reference work.
    • reference grammar
    • Reference Dictionary of Linguistics
  6. The act of referring: a submitting for information or decision.
  7. A relation between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object.
  8. A short written identification of a previously published work which is used as a source for a text.
  9. A previously published written work thus indicated; a source.
  10. An object containing information which refers to data stored elsewhere, as opposed to containing the data itself.
  11. A special sequence used to represent complex characters in markup languages, such as ™ for the ™ symbol.
  12. Appeal.
    • Y’are falne into a Princely hand, feare nothing, / Make your full reference freely to my Lord, / Who is ſo full of Grace, that it flowes ouer / On all that neede. - c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The...

Origin

From Middle French référence, from Medieval Latin referentia, nominative neuter plural of referēns, present participle of referō (“return, reply”, literally “carry back”). Morphologically refer + -ence.

Forms

references

Hyponyms

circular reference forward reference phantom reference soft reference strong reference weak reference

Related

sense handle

Derived

autoreference backreference back-reference book of reference call by reference call-by-reference category reference character reference circular reference coreference credit reference cross-reference dereference forward reference frame of reference georeference grid reference idea of reference inertial frame of reference inertial reference inertial reference system inertial reference unit in reference to interreference

Verb

  1. To provide a list of references for (a text).
    • You must thoroughly reference your paper before submitting it.
  2. To cite, to use as a reference.
    • Reference the dictionary for word meanings.
    • The penchant for synthesizing the work of others that pervades British scholarship has been described by one of my cynical American colleagues as “a giant bibliography that is always eating its own tail.” By this he...
    • Written information is a relatively new phenomenon. Depositing it and being able to reference it centuries later is not common human experience. - 1994 September 5, Barry Chamish, quoting Louis Rossetto, “The End of the...
  3. To mention, to refer to.
    • In his speech, the candidate obliquely referenced the past failures of his opponent.
    • Humanities institutions specifically reference the work setting for illustrative applications of the unique and significant contributions of the Humanities. - 1988, Integrating the Humanities into Associate Degree...
    • With the economy characteristic of all African sculpture, these portraits reference individual and social identities simultaneously, so that the image of a king may represent a particular king and all kings; a...
  4. To contain the value that is a memory address of some value stored in memory.
    • The given pointer will reference the actual generated data.

Forms

references referencing referenced

Related

referee referent referential relate relation

Derived

cross-reference georeferencer referencer rereference