the act of referring or consulting; "reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer"
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; "the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos"
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"
a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to; "he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation"
think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another; "This plant can be referred to a known species"
send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision; "refer a patient to a specialist"; "refer a bill to a committee"
have to do with or be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments"