See Also: Reference(medicine)
Reference(money)
reference(dictionary)
Reference Collection(law)
Trade Reference(money)
reference book(dictionary)
Reference rate(finance)
reference 2, verb(dictionary)
Delusion of reference(health)
Ideas of reference(health)

reference (iou)



reference noun & verb. L16.
[formed as REFEREE + -ENCE.]
A. noun.
a. The referring or submitting of a matter, esp. a dispute or controversy, to a person or authority for consideration, decision, or settlement. L16.
L. Garfield The gaoler would do what he'd been paid for without further reference to his employer.
b. An authority or standard referred to. rare. L16.
c. Scots Law. The referring of a fact at issue to the oath of a defendant. Cf. REFER verb 4b. M18.
a. Relation, respect, or regard to a thing or person. L16.
J. Butler The world is a..system, whose parts have a mutual reference to each other.
b. Logic & Linguistics. The action or state of referring by which a word or expression is related to an entity. L19.
c. Sociology & Psychology. The process by or extent to which an individual establishes relationships with elements in society, as a standard for comparison. Freq. attrib. M20.
Assignment. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
(An) allusion to or to a thing or person. E17.
Asian Art Reference here is to the Ningshoudian, where bronzes were kept. M. Forster Elizabeth took Robert up on a passing reference he had made.
a. (A) direction to a book, passage, etc., where information may be found; (an) indication of an author, page, etc., to be looked at. Also, a book or passage so cited. E17.
M. Coren Gilbert was still a careless biographer, refusing to check his references.
b. A mark or sign referring a reader to another part of a work, as from the text to a note, or indicating a part of a figure or diagram referred to. L17.
a. The action of referring one person to another for information; a person to whom one may be referred; spec. = REFEREE noun 3. E19.
b. A usu. written testimonial produced by a referee, esp. about an applicant for employment. L19.
book of reference, reference book, a book intended to be consulted for information on individual matters rather than read continuously. M19.
b. A reference book. Chiefly US. L20.
An object, physical property, value, etc., used as the basis for comparative measurement or standardization. M20.
Phrases: book of reference: see sense 7 above. for reference for consultation. frame of reference: see FRAME noun. framework of reference = frame of reference s.v. FRAME noun. in reference to with respect or regard to; about. point of reference = reference-point below. quick reference: see QUICK adjective & adverb. terms of reference: see TERM noun. without reference to without regard to, without consideration of or for. with reference to = in reference to above.
Attrib. & comb.: In the sense 'of a thing used as a reference', as reference level, reference signal, reference solution, etc. Special combs., as reference book (a) see sense 7 above; (b) a library book for consultation not loan; (c) S. Afr. History an identity document or group of documents which all non-white residents in South Africa were obliged to carry between 1952 and 1977; reference daily intake = RDA; reference electrode Electricity an electrode having an accurately maintained potential, used as a reference for measurement by other electrodes; reference frame = frame of reference s.v. FRAME noun; reference group Sociology & Psychology a group which a person, perhaps subconsciously, refers to as a standard in forming attitudes and behaviour; reference library: in which the books are for consultation not loan; reference-point a basis or standard for evaluation, assessment, or comparison; a criterion; reference room a room, esp. in a library, in which reference books are available for consultation; reference tube Electricity a cold-cathode gas-filled tube which can maintain an accurately fixed voltage.
b. verb trans.
a. Refer or assign to. rare. Only in E17.
b. Relate (a measurement) to a defined base or zero level. L20.
Provide with a reference or references; give a reference to (a passage); find by reference. L19.
Antiquaries Journal The book is..fully referenced and indexed.