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referent

referent

3 8.1
A person, animal or thing that a word talks about
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛfərənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : referente
  • More importantly, deletions would also disturb the very numerical referents (means, standard deviations) upon which norms are founded.
  • referent cognition
  • referent outcome
  • referent condition

We feel them in a way that we feel them, but they're referent is outside of our feelings.

Examples

  • The model is, in my mind, a more problematic referent because she is both subject and object.

    Academic text (1992)
  • One need no longer privilege the historical "background" as the real referent of the text.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And then once again we can put the the actual size of the referent object here.

  • The objective referent of clock is another clock.

  • The medical record was considered the referent measure for inconsistencies between self-reported and medical record data.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Social studies has never had precise referents in the American lexicon.

    Academic text (1992)
  • One "descriptive element" is the topic or apparent referent (but not the answer).

    Academic text (1991)
  • As indicated above, perceptions of outcome fairness and satisfaction were influenced only by the referent cognition treatment.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Social and ritual uses of scent in Tuareg culture reveal that aroma has referents transcending its physical qualities.

    Academic text (1999)
  • In linguistics, a word's referent is the specific object or idea that it points to.

Synonyms

reference
vsreferent
  • Specialized
156 5.5

The thing a word or phrase points to

means only the entity itself rather than the relation between word and entity
denotatum
vsreferent
  • Specialized
9.9

A real thing in the world that a word refers to

is broader, including abstract entities or symbolic targets not in the real world

How Specific

denotatum
  • Specialized
9.9
referent
  • Specialized
3 8.1
object
739 1.0
entity
349 5.3
thing
1.0

Surface Forms

referent singular
referents plural

Morphology

referent = refer (semi-transparent) = refer + ent

While the suffix '-ent' indicates an agent or something related to the action, the specific meaning in linguistics is not entirely obvious.

Etymology

Referent comes from Latin parts re- 'back' and ferre 'to carry', and it shares the same root as the common words refer and reference. So a referent is the person or thing a word 'points back to', which explains why it means the thing a word or symbol refers to.