references

1. a remark that calls attention to something or someoneExamples: "she made frequent mention of her promotion"; "there was no mention of it"; "the speaker made several references to his wife"Synonyms: mention, reference

2. a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passageExamples: "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"Synonyms: acknowledgment, citation, cite, credit, mention, quotation, reference

3. an indicator that orients you generallyExamples: "it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved"Synonyms: point of reference, reference, reference point

4. a book to which you can refer for authoritative factsExamples: "he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic"Synonyms: book of facts, reference, reference book, reference work

5. a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependabilityExamples: "requests for character references are all too often answered evasively"Synonyms: character, character reference, reference

6. the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers toExamples: "the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos"Synonyms: denotation, extension, reference