denotation
nounUS /ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
Etymology From Late Latin dēnotātiō, from Latin dēnotāre (“to denote, mark out”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns of action), from dē- (“completely”) + notāre (“to mark”); equivalent to denote + -ation.
The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes
Human sciences, Linguistics, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences, Semiotics The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.
- The denotations of the two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" are the same (i.e. both expressions denote the planet Venus), but their connotations are different.
- Regarding denotation, the terms were generally used to refer to a wide range of language contact varieties and features.2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 6:
Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences The intension and extension of a word
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences, Semantics Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol
Computer, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Science, Sciences Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics
A first level of analysis: what the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor.
- Derived terms
- denotational, denotative
- Related terms
- connotation