Definition of Reference

Noun: reference re-f(u-)run(t)s

A remark that calls attention to something or someone
"the speaker made several references to his wife";
- mention
A short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
"the student's essay failed to list several important references";
- citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit, mention, quotation
An indicator that orients you generally
"it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved";
- reference point, point of reference
A book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
"he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic";
- reference book, reference work, book of facts
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";
- character, character reference
The most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
"the reference of 'satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos";
- denotation, extension
The act of referring or consulting
"reference to an encyclopaedia produced the answer";
- consultation
A publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
"he carried an armful of references back to his desk";
- source
(computing) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
- address, computer address
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"
[N. Amer] Someone who writes a reference letter for a job candidate
- referee [Brit]

Verb: reference re-f(u-)run(t)s

Make a citation to
"he referenced his colleagues' work";
- cite