denotation

(dē'nō-tā'shən)
n.

1. The act of denoting; indication.
2. Something, such as a sign or symbol, that denotes.
3. Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol.
4. The most specific or direct meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.

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noun

That which is signified by a word or expression: acceptation, connotation, import, intent, meaning, message, purport, sense, significance, significancy, signification, value. See meaning.

That which is denoted, or referred to by a term. See connotation/denotation.

(dee-noh-tay-shuhn)

The basic dictionary meaning of a word, without its connotations. For example, the denotation of the word modern is “belonging to recent times,” although the word may have different connotations.

One of several words (the most common alternative is 'reference') used by logicians and philosophers for the relation between a fragment of language and that part or aspect of the world that is used to introduce it into discourse. The paradigm of the relation is that of a proper name to its bearer, but it is a matter of dispute what to say about proper names (and other grammatical subject expressions) which lack a bearer; and it is a matter of dispute whether and how the relationship applies in the case of predicate expressions. It is common to identify the denotation (reference) of a predicate expression with its extension, i.e. the class of all things to which it applies. Those who are prepared to recognize the existence of universals are often inclined to treat predicate expressions as denoting these. For J. S. Mill a general term like 'man' names the class of men, and denotes the indefinite number of individuals who belong to that class, while it connotes the attribute which is signified by 'humanity' (cf. 'white' connotes what 'whiteness' signifies), as well as any attributes implied by this, such as animal life and rationality. All such attributes comprise the connotation of 'man'.

Mill's distinction between denotation and connotation is often confused with Frege's distinction between reference (Bedeutung) and sense (Sinn); but for Frege the sense of an expression is the manner in which it refers, and this made it possible for him to hold that proper names have a sense, whereas Mill denied that proper names have a connotation.

(Published 1987)

— J. E. Tiles

Bibliography
• Frege, G. (1952). 'On sense and reference'. In Geach, P. T., and Black, M., Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege.
• Mill, J. S. (1879). A System of Logic.

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The literal dictionary meaning(s) of a word as distinct from an associated idea or connotation.

For a list of words related to denotation, see:

• Notions, Ideas, and Methods - denotation: specific meaning of a term, as distinguished from its connotation
• Linguistics and Writing Systems - denotation: explicit or direct meaning of word
• Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - denotation: specific, literal meaning

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