point of reference
5
4.1
- noun
- /pɔɪnt əv ˈrɛfərəns/
:
punto de referencia
- We must realize that we have a problem: we do not have a point of reference in the world.
- provide a point of reference
- serves as a point of reference
- important point of reference
We lose those points of reference and light outside of us.
- We lose those points of reference and light outside of us.
- And suddenly you've got a common point of reference for this character.
- It's it's a, an unshakable point of reference, I guess you might say.
- Like there was really no point of reference.
- You're going to be in just the middle of space if you time travel unless they have a point of reference for being in that exact locality.
- I've tried and my kids, just so you have a point of reference, my kids got smartphones for their bar mitzvah.
- So for me, it's the, it's the sense that, you know, once I know that once I've got that singularity, that self, that's my only point of reference.
- In a word of obligation, you can lose your point of reference very easily.
- If you know where they are, you're always going to have a point of reference for your resolution, for your button up notes to, to end your phrases.
Examples
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When discussing climate change, scientists often use past data as a point of reference for future predictions.
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In other words, the Soviet model was an important point of reference for the whole world.
Academic text (1993) -
We lose those points of reference and light outside of us.
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But also because now you have two points of reference, what you did wrong, what you did right.
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The press camera is in the photo to provide a point of reference.
Academic text (1997) -
And suddenly you've got a common point of reference for this character.
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They provide a common point of reference to help us talk, to learn, to live together amicably.
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Amherst remained a crucial point of reference for Coles throughout his career.
Academic text (2017) -
There is a longing in the human mind for repose, for fixed points of reference, for absolute certainty.
Academic text (1993) -
Like Duchamp, Fluxus represented an important point of reference in Zanini's experimental curatorial program.
Academic text (2014)
Synonyms
92
2.5
A standard used to compare people or things
35
3.1
A standard used to compare other things
23
2.8
Something used as a model or standard for judging things
10
3.7
A known mark people use to compare or find position
9
5.8
A person's ideas and beliefs that shape how they understand things
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'point' (a position) combined with 'reference' (a standard for comparison) yields 'a position used as a standard,' with the preposition 'of' simply linking them. This construction is common across languages (e.g., Spanish 'punto de referencia') and follows a regular noun-of-noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Point of reference comes from the image of a fixed point on a map or a clear mark that people use as a reference to find their way or compare places. So a point of reference is something you use as a 'reference' or guide to compare or measure other things.